A New Normal
by CharmHazel
Summary: Harry has spent much of his life being hunted by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Now the Dark Lord is dead, it is time for Harry to live the life he has always wanted. It is time for Harry to create for himself a new normal.
1. Reuniting

Harry was staring at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. He was exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally. He knew he needed to eat and sleep, but his mind was thinking about something else, someone else, one specific person in fact. He was thinking of the one person who had given him the strength he needed this past year, despite them being miles apart. They had been the last person he had thought about when he had stood in front of Lord Voldemort, willing to sacrifice himself if it meant that the war was one step closer to being ended for good. He was thinking about Ginny. Still standing there, knowing he should force himself to go to bed and sleep, all he could think about was how much he needed to see her now, and with a desperate need to know how she was.

Having made up his mind, Harry turned around and quickly headed back down to the Great Hall. He could only hope she was still there as he remembered when he saw her last, sat with her mother, before he had left. On entering the Hall, he found it was still abuzz from the excitement of having seen Harry duel and finally defeat Tom Riddle mere hours ago, but it was also tinged with the grief from those who had lost loved ones during the battle. He stood in the entrance as he scanned the Hall looking for a head of beautiful red hair and spotted it among a family of red heads. She was still there, in the same place he had seen her last, with her head leaning on her mother's shoulder, struggling to stay awake, a grief-stricken expression on her face.

Ginny was desperately trying to keep her eyes open. It was becoming increasingly harder to do so while she continued to lay her head against her mother's shoulder. She needed to stay awake; she needed to watch out for when Harry returned to the Great Hall when he came to find her. However, she could feel a pang of guilt in her heart as she knew that she should instead be thinking about the events of the past 24 hours, about the loss of her brother, grieving for him. Right now, all she could think about was seeing the person she loved most, the person she had longed for the past year. She needed to see Harry for everything to sink in and for recent events to feel real, to truly believe he was still alive.

Just hours ago, she had thought, even if it was just for a few minutes, that Harry was dead, that he had been ripped away from her forever, that the future she had hoped, dreamed and fought for had been destroyed. But he had suddenly reappeared in the midst of the battle, alive and breathing, right in front of her and had gone on to finally defeat Voldemort. In that moment, her hopes, her dreams and her future had come rushing back to her, they were still possible. However, not long after his victory, he had disappeared from the Great Hall, along with his two best friends, and now all she could do was to wait patiently for him to return.

Harry remained at the entrance of the Great Hall having paused for the moment to wonder whether if this was the best time for him to go and see Ginny. She had just lost one of her brothers in the battle; he had been there when it happened. He could not help but think that surely it was now that she needed to be with her family more than him. And even then, would she even want to see him after everything that had happened between them, after she had seen and believed him to be dead? He had heard her screams, he knew he had hurt her, but it had hurt him too. As he continued to look at her, her sadness and her grief was just too much for him to ignore. He knew then in that moment that she needed him as much as he needed her. He wanted and needed to be there for her in the same way she had been when he had lost his godfather, even more so when he had witnessed the death of their headmaster. He knew she had been through so much this past year, perhaps in some ways more than he had.

Harry began to move across the Hall towards where Ginny was sat and as he walked, he kept his eyes on her at all times, ignoring all those who wanted to talk and celebrate with him. As he finally reached where she was sat, stopping directly in front of her, he felt anxious. He took a deep breath and then simply held out his hand to her. His heart skipped a beat as she instantly placed her hand in his. He gently pulled her up out of her seat and pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly, burying his head into her hair. He moved his lips next to her ear and whispered

"I have missed you so much. Let's go back to the common room."

He took her hand again and led her out of the Hall, back towards where he had started. No one stopped them as they left, not even her family. He could only think that they knew that they needed each other, or perhaps they were too tired, too consumed by their grief that they did not protest. He could not be sure, but he did know that he was grateful.

Ginny noticed a sudden increase in noise as she fought her exhaustion, but she refused to look up to find out why. She then sensed someone approaching her and she knew it was him. A hand appeared in front of her and without looking up to see whose hand it was, she placed her hand in his without hesitation. She allowed him to pull her gently out of her seat and into his arms, allowing him to embrace her tightly as she leaned her head on his chest. Her heart started racing as she felt his lips against her ear as he whispered into it that he had missed her and ask her to go back to the common room with him. As he took her hand and led her out of the Great Hall, she breathed a sigh of relief that her mother, her family or anyone else had not tried to stop them from leaving, because right now, all she needed was him and she knew he needed her too.

Ginny held on tightly to Harry's hand as they walked through the castle, carefully weaving through the damage. She was scared to let go for the fear of losing him again, for the fear of it all being a dream that he was here with her again. The pain she had felt when she believed him to be dead was completely unbearable. For her, it had been like the world, her world with him, had ended. It was something that she knew she could not bear to feel again. She was not angry with him, despite all the pain he had caused her this past year, as she knew he had his reasons, even if she did not completely understand his actions right now. She also knew it had hurt him too, not that it mattered anymore, because he was here now, back where he belonged, here with her.

Harry led them through the ruins of the castle back to where he had started the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. Neither of them spoke, but that did not bother him, he knew there would be time to talk in the coming days. Holding her hand and just being in her presence was enough for him right now. As they reached the Fat Lady's portrait, he realised he did not know the password, but before he could say anything, the Fat Lady smiled, bowed her head and opened up the entrance for them. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief as they entered to find the common room was empty, thankful for the privacy this would allow them. He led them over to the sofa close to the fireplace and sat down, pulling her down alongside him. They curled up together, wrapping their arms around each other, holding each other as close as they possibly could. Both revelled in the closeness, both having wanted and waited so long for that moment, neither wanting to let go of each other and knowing the other felt the same.

Harry could feel the exhaustion quickly washing over him now. But before he would allow himself to succumb to sleep, he needed to say the three little words he had longed to say, words he wished he had said a year ago. He could feel his eye lids getting heavier, so he whispered;

"I love you Ginny. I always have and I always will."

Hearing him say those words made Ginny's heart leap. She immediately replied with the words she had desperately wanted to say to him on his birthday the year before.

"I love you too Harry. I always have and I always will."

They both stopped fighting their exhaustion and gave in to the sleep, with smiles on their faces, safe within each other's arms, finally content. They both slept soundly, undisturbed by dreams or nightmares, for the first time in a very long time.


	2. Confessions

Chapter 2 - Confessions

It was in the early hours of the following morning when Harry finally woke. It was quiet and the sun just beginning to rise over the castle. Ginny was still sleeping, still within his embrace. However, he realised that they were now tucked up in his old bed in his former dormitory, with no recollection of how they had got there. He realised though that it didn't matter, all that mattered was that Ginny was still there with him. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the thought that it was all over, that he now had a future of his own choosing and that the woman he loved was there in his arms, both having declared their love for each other before falling asleep. Looking at her sleeping peacefully in his arms, all he could think about was just how beautiful she was, just how much he had missed her this past year and how grateful he was that she had survived the battle.

Not wanting to wake Ginny up, Harry carefully reached out for his glasses, put them on and took a look around the dormitory and noticed just how many people had taken refuge in the Gryffindor tower for the night. He quickly checked the time; it was still early but he knew that it also wouldn't be too long until people begun to wake up. He knew then he would be needed to speak with those who were grieving, with those still celebrating and he would need to speak to those few he felt were owed the truth about the past few days, the past year and perhaps even the past few years. And while he felt he was ready to deal with the aftermath of the battle and with the consequences of the war ending, he felt that there was only one person to whom he owed the truth about everything that had happened and that was the red haired beauty asleep in his arms.

Ginny was the most important person in his life now, much more important than anyone else had ever been. Harry felt and knew that she deserved an explanation and even though he knew he had more time than he could ever possibly imagined now, talking to Ginny was something which could not wait. It had to be sooner rather than later. He knew for certain in his heart that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her; he had known this for months. Now that he would be able to do that, he knew it meant that could be no more secrets, there had to be complete honesty between them, no matter how much the truth may hurt them. He needed to be honest with her; he needed her to understand why he had caused her so much pain this year. He wanted to share every little detail of his life, even the parts no one knew about. He needed her to know that she was an important part of his journey in his fight against Voldemort, though he knew it might shock her in a way she could not imagine. Most important of all, he wanted to reveal to her his final secret, one which he did not plan to reveal to anyone but her, not even his best friends, as proof of his love for her.

Harry felt Ginny stir, so he kissed the top of her head softly, tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered;

"Ginny."

He watched as she slowly opened her eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that always made him melt when he looked at them.

"Let's get up and go for a walk before everyone else wakes up" he continued. "I want time for just us before everyone else realises I'm awake."

After they had both had a quick shower and changed into clean clothes that Kreacher had left for them Harry and Ginny walked down hand in hand, towards their favourite spot near the Black Lake, where they had spent many happy days together barely a year before. Harry sat down with his back against their favourite tree, as Ginny settled down next to him, still holding his hand firmly in hers. Harry turned to look at her, taking in just how much he had missed her beautiful face, while realising that despite what he needed to explain to her, it would not be as difficult as it had been the night he had to tell Dumbledore and Sirius about what had happened in the graveyard the night Voldemort had returned. For once, there was no confusion for he understood everything; it had been him who had figured the final piece of the puzzle he needed to defeat the dark wizard once and for all. Everything he had learnt in the past few days had finally helped him make sense of the past seven years and why it had always been him that could truly end it. As he looked into her brown eyes, he saw her love for him, he saw the patience she was willing to give him and he knew she would understand why he had made the decisions he had during the past year.

"I want to tell you everything, and I mean everything. I don't want any more secrets between us. I love you too much to do that to you again," he began.

"Harry, I love you too," Ginny replied, making Harry feel more confident about what he needed to share with her.

"There is so much to tell you, but today I want to tell you about the past year. I owe the truth to you about that as I know I have hurt you for which I am truly sorry," he continued, as he looked at her, pleading with his eyes for her forgiveness.

"There's nothing to forgive you for, Harry. I know you had your reasons and I have accepted that," Ginny replied softly.

"Before I start though, I need you to understand how much it broke my heart to break up with you last year. I only did it to protect you, not that you were safe here as I had hoped. But I know now that I also did it, because I love you and needed to know that you would here if I came out of all of this alive," Harry said, willing her again with his eyes to understand him.

"I know. And as much as it broke my heart, I let you walk away, rather than fight for you because of how much I love you. But you are here now with me and that is all that matters," she replied as she cupped his face with her hand.

So Harry began to talk about everything, starting with the prophecy and finishing with the moment he had defeated Tom Riddle. He explained to Ginny how it all fit together, him, the prophecy, the horcruxes, the hallows and how in the end it had all come back to that one fateful night in Godric's Hollow. He could only think how it was a testament to Ginny's strength that she had not reacted in a negative way when he had told her the truth behind Riddle's diary.

"The first horcrux I destroyed by accident in my second year. It was the diary. I think it is how Dumbledore figured it out, though it was not confirmed until we got Slughorn's memory. It was never a memory that possessed you, it was actually a part of Voldemort's soul that did."

Harry could only watch as Ginny processed this information but was relieved when she squeezed his hand and nodded for him to continue. So he did and as he spoke, he could see her examining his face, while she listened intently to the words he spoke, but never once did she interrupt him. He too examined her face, watching her expressions and reactions to what he told her, whether she understood, but her face remained calm, taking in everything he was saying, giving him the strength to continue even when he thought he might stumble.

With everything said, there was now only one part to the story that Harry needed to tell her now, a part of which he would never reveal to anyone else, not even the two people who had been on this journey with him over the past year. He was determined to keep this as their secret, as a reminder and as proof of his love for Ginny. He pulled her closer to him, allowing her to place her head on his shoulder, while holding her in his arms, so that when he told her what he needed to say, she would understand that this would be their secret forever more.

He took a deep breath, despite knowing that for him, this was the easiest part to tell her, despite never having been good at expressing his own feelings.

"Ginny, the last part I want to tell you is for only you to know and you alone. I have no intentions of telling anyone else. I will say it again though that anything that I have done in this past year that may have hurt you, I did so to protect you. I love you too much to allow anything to happen to you. It was the reason I broke up with you, the reason I wanted you to remain safe in the Room of Requirement. And even though I broke up with you, I never really left you. You still had my heart; I would watch your dot on the Marauder's Map, hoping you were safe, wishing you could hear me somehow. You are what kept me going all those months on the run."

He took another deep breath; he needed the words he said next to come out right, so she would know just how important she was to him, so she would know just how much he loved her.

"I walked past you when you were helping that girl and I didn't stop, I couldn't stop, but I really wanted to. And I know I didn't say goodbye when I walked into the forest to face my own death, but I don't think, no, I know I would not have been able to continue had I stopped, had I spoken to you. I would have let you talk me out of going, I would have just wanted to run and hide with you. And hearing your screams when I pretended to be dead nearly broke me. I wanted to call out to you, so you knew I was alive but I couldn't if I was going to be able to finish Riddle once and for all. I nearly didn't go after him when I saw that killing curse miss you. I wanted to kill Bellatrix instead, but obviously your mum got there first."

Harry felt Ginny move in closer to him and he felt her grip tighten on him, as he tightened his grip on her.

"When I faced Riddle in the forest, as I stood there unwilling to defend myself, allowing him to kill me, my last thoughts, they were of you and only you. And when I came back, the choice to do so was not just so I could finish Riddle, but so I could finally be with you."

He said everything; he had managed to reveal what would be their secret, showing her just how much he loved her. He looked down at her and saw her face gazing up at him, with the broadest smile on her face, her eyes gleaming with tears. He softly kissed her forehead and smiled back at her, knowing she had accepted and understood everything he had told her. Most importantly, she now knew and understood just how much she meant to him, how she was the most important person in the world to him and that he was never going to leave her again.

Ginny had sat and listened to Harry talk about everything that had happened to him over the past year and now they were sat cuddled up in silence, lost in their own thoughts. The ease at which had spoken about his year had shocked her and yet had somehow eased her nerves about listening to what he had to say. But even so, it also told her that now the final battle had been fought and now that the war had been won, a sense of relief had washed over him, making it easier for him to open up to her, confide in her and to be honest with her. However, it still broke her heart that he had been through so much more in his lifetime than most people ever would.

She had been most shocked by the similarities between their experiences with Tom Riddle, both having had him in their heads at some point. He had been the horcrux that Riddle had never intended to make, while she had been possessed by one of those horcruxes, the diary, during her first year at school. She had nearly died as a result and yet he had died, removing Riddle's soul from him in the process. This knowledge had shocked her to the core, and yet it made the most sense to her and was the reason she had not reacted to the revelation negatively. It made her feel like she was strong enough to handle anything that came her way, especially with Harry by her side.

It was his final words that had touched her heart the most, which had made her fall in love with him even more than she already was. She had been the last person; the only person he had thought about before he faced what he thought would be his death. And she was one of the reasons he came back, he had come back so they could have a future together. She knew now that she was the most important person in his life; he had proved that with what he had shared, proven that he was in love with her. She could feel it too through their closeness. She felt so safe in his arms as he held her close that she knew she had the strength to be honest with him about what had happened to her in the past year. She shook herself from her thoughts and looked back at him.

"I am so proud of you, Harry, of everything you have done and accomplished. Thank you for telling me, for being honest with me," Ginny began. "I love you so much and I think I should be honest with you about the year as well. Like you said no more secrets."

"However, I need you to promise me that you won't get angry or upset at what I am about to tell you. I need you to understand that none of what happened is your fault. The decision you made was made when we all thought it would still be safe. There is no way you could have known what would happen here," she continued as she ran her fingers through Harry's messy hair.

"Ok, I'll try, but I just feel bad that I couldn't be there for you or protect you."

So she spoke of her year, the aftermath of the wedding, Hogwarts, Snape, the Carrows, the punishments, the torture she had endured, the DA, of everything that had happened. As she spoke, she could see the anger and the upset her year was causing him, but she could also see the pride at her actions and at her strength to stand up and against the regime. But as she approached what she knew had been the hardest part of her year, she felt herself stumble, not thinking she would be able to say what she needed him to hear, she looked back into his eyes and sought the love and comfort she needed and found it there.

"It hurt me so much when you broke up with me, it hurt even more when you disappeared at the wedding and it hurt not knowing where you were and what you were doing all those months you were gone. But none of that compares to the unbearable pain I felt when I saw Hagrid carrying your body, when I thought you were dead. It felt like someone had ripped out my heart, had torn my soul in two, like I had died too. The idea of you not being a part of my life, a part of my future was something I did not want to consider, something I did not want to think about. If you were not in my life, then my life would have been over, because it would not have been worth living if you were not there with me. Living without you was not an option for me and it has not been for a very long time. And that is because my heart belongs to you, Harry."

With that, she felt the tears start to come and she knew there would be no stopping them. She buried her head into Harry's chest, not wanting him to see her like this. She wanted to be strong for him.

"It's ok, I am here now. I promise you that you will not have to live without me anymore. MY heart belongs to you too, Ginny," she heard him whisper into her ear as he held her close, running his fingers through her hair. This made her feel safe, like no one could ever hurt them again. She could speak no more now, she had said all she could say and neither could he. They had said all they could, all they had needed and it was enough.

They stayed down by the lake for another hour. Harry sat against the tree, while Ginny sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. They sat, enjoying being in each other's presence, holding each other, feeling safe within each other's arms. They felt no need to speak; just being together was enough for them. Harry knew that her family, his adopted family, would come looking for them soon, they reluctantly chose to head back to the castle, despite their strong desire to be left in their own little world. Before they left, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her for the first time in nearly a year, both of them putting every ounce of emotion they were feeling into that kiss, both knowing that this would be the first of many more kisses to come.


	3. Saying Goodbye

It had been a very long and emotional week for everyone. Harry had no idea how he would have survived the week if it had not been for Ginny's constant love and support. At every funeral that they had attended, she had stood or sat next to him, holding his hand tightly, not letting go once. And as simple as the gesture was, it had been a great source of comfort and warmth for him. However, the week was far from over as there were still two more funerals to attend. The first one, Harry knew would be the most difficult for Ginny and he knew he would need to be strong for her and that he would need to keep his emotions in check, while providing her with the same comfort and warmth she had done all week. The second one would be the most difficult for Harry, the hardest of all the funerals that they had attended and he was not sure he had the strength to be able to handle it. Today, they would be attending funerals to say goodbye to Fred, Remus and Tonks.

Both Harry and Ginny had been dreading this day since their return to The Burrow a couple of weeks earlier. They had become inseparable since they had reunited; rarely spending time apart if they could avoid it, finding that being with each other was a welcome distraction from the grief they both shared. They would spend time talking about their childhoods and their time at Hogwarts, flying together in the Orchard, sitting in silence while enjoying being in each other's presence after being separated for so long or sometimes curling up together and taking naps after having a restless night's sleep. They made no secret of their renewed relationship as it was something that they had both longed for over the past year. And despite the initial confusion from much of the family, nothing was said to them, but they were instead left alone to be in their own little world.

This morning was Fred's funeral; the one Ginny had been dreading attending most. The pain and grief she felt due to losing one of her brothers was worse than she had expected and imagined. But it was still noting in comparison to the pain and heartbreak she had felt when she was led to believe that Harry was dead. She knew she had to face her grief now, after allowing herself to build a bubble around herself and Harry to escape it. She was so grateful to have Harry back in her life as she knew that together they would work through their grief. She also knew that he understood her pain better than anyone as he had already lost so many people he loved and cared for due to this war and due to Tom Riddle. If anyone was going to help her through this, she knew it would be Harry and she knew she would do the same for him.

Harry knew this morning would be tough for Ginny, for all the Weasleys, but he also knew it would tough for himself as well. The only real family he had ever truly known had lost one of their own and he felt incredibly awkward, feeling as though he was intruding on their grief, even if they felt he was part of the family. And even though he knew he was not to blame for Fred's death, he still had lingering feelings and doubts that made him feel at times that perhaps they did blame him. But Ginny never did, she always told when she saw that look on his face when he was thinking about it. He loved and appreciated her trust and faith in him, but right now, it was time for him to be there for her.

"Gin, it's time," he whispered into her ear. He pulled her in close to him, kissed the top of her head, before taking her hand and leading her to the graveside.

As the funeral began, Harry could feel the tears begin to well up in his eyes. He forced them back. Not today, no tears today, he thought. He looked at the rest of the Weasley family, most were sobbing silently, Molly was crying loudly, more like wailing, and George, he was just staring distantly into space. Harry looked down at Ginny, his sweet beautiful Ginny, and he could see that she was numb from the fact that her brother was gone and being buried and yet he could see the tears streaming over her face. It was breaking his heart to see her like this. He wished that there was some way he could take away her pain. He did the only thing he could think of, he slipped his hand out of hers, moved his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him, allowing her to cry on his shoulder instead.

Harry's thoughts wandered as the funeral continued. It amazed him that he did not feel awkward comforting Ginny in this way. He had never found it easy to comfort crying girls; it would just make him feel anxious. And yet with Ginny, it felt so easy, it came much more naturally. But then again, everything with her felt so much more easy, everything came so much more naturally. She was the only person in his life with whom he felt he could share everything, with whom he could be himself completely and with whom he was willing to show his vulnerable side. And he knew that for Ginny, she felt the same way he did. Knowing all this made it all the easier for him to continue to hold her, to comfort her and to support her throughout the funeral, allowing her to grieve in the way she needed to.

Ginny hated that she was so overcome with emotion. She was unable to hold back her tears and it was not like her to be like this; she was not someone who would usually cry. She was, however, grateful that Harry was there by her side, supporting her and not judging her for being this way. She desperately wanted to pay attention to what was being said, but her tears were so overwhelming that it made it difficult for her to focus. She instead allowed herself to sink into Harry's arms and shed the tears she knew she needed to shed. She was missing Fred so much and knew the world would be so different without, even though the dark days were now gone. What saddened her most though, was that he was not here to see here with Harry, that he would not be there on the day that they got married. But she knew in her heart that he would approve of their relationship, but still, he was no longer her to see them together.

Both Harry and Ginny were drawn from them thoughts as the funeral ended with fireworks lighting up the sky, bringing laughter and smiles to those in attendance. Once they had stopped and as people begun to leave, Harry led Ginny over to Fred's grave and conjured a wreath of flowers, which Ginny laid down.

"Goodbye Fred, I'll miss you," Ginny said sadly. She gave Harry a watery smile as the walked away.

"Are you ready?" she asked Harry.

"Not really. Promise me you will stay with me this afternoon. I'm not sure I will cope otherwise," he replied nervously.

"I'll stay with you, no matter what," Ginny said as they stopped. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him lightly on the lips.

The many funerals that they had attended had taken the toll on both of them, but even more so for Harry. Ginny had stayed strong for him, supported him and comforted him at each one, knowing that each loss of life had been hard for him. But she knew that the funeral they were about to attend would, for Harry, be the worst of them all. She knew that this funeral would be about saying goodbye to his last true connection to his parents. She hoped he would be able to stay strong, but she was expecting that this would be the funeral at which he would finally break down in tears.

When they arrived at the next cemetery, they found many members of the DA and the Order of the Phoenix having already arrived ahead of them. Harry was glad to see so many people had come to say goodbye and pay their respects to Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. He knew Lupin's life had not been an easy one, having been a werewolf. Making friends had been tough, but seeing this many people here, Harry thought, should just how many people had loved and respected him.

From among the crowd, Harry saw a familiar face from the summer before approach him and Ginny, carrying an infant in her arms,

"Hello Harry, Ginny," said Andromeda. "Would you like to meet your godson Teddy?"

Harry looked down at the precious bundle in Andromeda's arms and smile sadly. Here was the baby, who he could see so much of his friends in, and he was never going to have the chance to know his parents, Harry thought. Tears that he had been managing to keep at bay for the previous few days were now threatening to burst.

"He's an orphan, just like I am," Harry said quietly. And with that, the tears came. His grief had finally hit the surface and brought with it and onslaught of tears he could no longer fight back.

"Sorry Mrs Tonks. Perhaps me and Harry can come by and see Teddy another day?" Ginny intervened. Andromeda nodded and briefly touched Harry's shoulder in sympathy and understanding before walking away.

"Harry, if this is all too much for you, we can go home if you want," whispered Ginny. Harry shook his head furiously in response, unable to get any words out of his mouth.

"It's ok. I love you. I am not going anywhere. I'll be by your side the whole time," she responded as she held him close to her.

She was not surprised by Harry's tears; she had been expecting this eventually. But she also knew that these tears were more than just saying goodbye to their friends. They were tears for every loss he had personally suffered, every person who had died due to the actions of Voldemort. Years of unresolved grief had finally been unleashed and it broke her heart to see him so consumed by his pain and his grief. But she was determined to be there for him, to help through it and to share in his grief.

The funeral passed in a blur for Harry. He was so consumed by his grief that he was unable to focus on any words said and to see anything that happened. All he could do was cry for every person he had ever lost while Ginny held and comforted him. His tears eased long enough for Ginny to help him over to their graves, so he could say goodbye, before she, along with her dad, helped him apparate back to The Burrow for the joint wake. Ashamed and embarrassed by having shed so many tears in front of so many people, Harry muttered his apologies and took himself straight upstairs to bed.

"Don't worry about the wake, sweetheart. We can make excuses for you and Harry if needs be," Mr Weasley said as he watched Harry disappear up the stairs. "He shouldn't be alone right now. Go and be with him."

Ginny smiled and hugged her father and quickly headed up the stairs to find Harry. She knew him well enough to know well enough to know what room he would have gone to and as she opened the door to her bedroom, as she had expected he was there. She found Harry sat on her bed, with his head in his hands. She went and knelt down in front of him, taking his hands and holding them in hers.

"Dad is going to make excuses for us if anyone wonders why we are not at the wake. We can stay in here for the rest of the day instead," she told him as he looked up at her, his eyes red and puffy from the tears. She could see so much pain in his eyes, but she could also see his love her in them too.

"I love you so much, Gin. I don't know what I would do without you," he replied as fresh tears started to flow.

"I love you too, Harry. I'll stay with you, no matter what," repeating her promise from earlier on the day as she pulled him into his arms, so she could comfort him.

For the rest of the day, they stayed there in her room. After many more tears had been shed between them, tiredness began to set in. Lying on her bed, holding each other in one another's arms, Harry spoke,

"Thanks for being there for me today, Gin."

"I promised I would stay with. We both need each other if we are going to heal."

"I know, which is why I was wondering if you would come with me to a few places this coming week?"

"Of course I will. I am not spending a minute away from you if I can help it."

"I love you, Gin."

"I love you too, Harry."

Within minutes, both had fallen asleep; both feeling as though the heavy weight of their grief had finally begun to lift from their hearts.

As they slept soundly, the door to Ginny's room opened. Her parents stood in the doorway as they watched the young couple sleep in each other's arms. They gazed at each other and smiled. No words were exchanged as they both knew what the other was thinking. The fact that these two people had found each in a time of such darkness and were now helping each other to heal now those days were over, brought joy to them. Leaving the couple in the peace, they quietly closed the door and headed to bed.


	4. The Five Brothers

Chapter 4 – The Five Brothers

A soft tapping came from the bedroom door.

"Harry, Ginny, time to get up dears," a voice called softly.

Harry groaned. He attempted to shift positions so he could go back to sleep, but he found his space was restricted. As his senses became more aware of his surroundings, he realised that the additional weight was on his shoulder and chest and he became aware of that flowery smell he loved so much. In that moment, the painful memories of the day before came rushing back to him and he remembered he had fallen asleep snuggled up to Ginny in her bedroom.

Harry's eyes snapped open fully as he suddenly realised that it had been Mrs Weasley at the door and it dawned on him that she must have known that they had slept together in the same bed. However, he also realised that she had only called for them to get up and had not come in to have a moan at them. A thought crossed his mind that perhaps just maybe that after the events of yesterday, she had not had a problem with them sleeping in the same bed. Either way, that was an answer that could wait until they both went downstairs. As for now, he wanted to enjoy a few minutes' peace with Ginny.

"Mmm, this is definitely something I could get used to," a beautiful voice from next to Harry said.

"I know. I could get used to this too," Harry grinned as he pulled Ginny up towards his face to kiss her. As he did, he pulled her closer to him, placing one hand on the small of her back, with the other becoming tangled within her hair, as she placed her arms around his neck, both quickly becoming lost within each other and their kiss.

"Now that is definitely the way I want to wake up every morning," Ginny said as she reluctantly pulled away. "Was that my mum's voice I heard?"

"Yeah, she said it was time to get up. Though I do have to say I was amazed she did not come in and moan about us being in bed together."

"Well, being that my dad told me to stay with you after we got home yesterday, I suspect that neither of them had a problem with us falling asleep in the same bed after the day we had. Which reminds me, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I feel a little better. I know I slept better. I feel lighter, if that makes any sense? I mean it still hurts, the pain and the grief are still there, but it doesn't hurt as bad as it did yesterday."

"No, it makes sense, especially with the amount of unresolved grief you had," Ginny said as she stroked her fingers through his hair to soothe him. "But at least it is a step in the right direction. I mean the pain will probably never fully go away, but at least it will become more bearable for you as time passes."

Harry had no words with which to reply. He just looked at Ginny in awe and thought about just how lucky he was to be with such an amazing and understanding woman, with whom he was deeply in love with. All he could do was kiss, putting every ounce of love he had for her into it. Within seconds, their bodies had become entwined, both completely lost within their kiss yet again.

Another soft tapping came from outside the bedroom door.

"Harry, Ginny, can I come in please?" a voice said.

Harry groaned at the interruption. Ginny gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before untangling herself from him.

"Come on in, mum," Ginny called out.

The door opened to reveal Mrs Weasley and the noise of raised voices came from somewhere downstairs. Mrs Weasley came in and quickly closed the door.

"We have a little problem in regards to the fact that you two slept in the same bed last night. Before you ask, your father and I have no issue with it. We trust you two and after the day you both had yesterday, we knew that you both needed each other, just the same way you did after the battle," Mrs Weasley began. "However, as you can probably tell from the noise, it would appear that your brothers do have an issue with it."

Harry and Ginny both looked at her in confusion. Harry, however, could also see that Ginny was beginning to get angry at this piece of news about her brothers. He went to say something, but Mrs Weasley continued talking.

"Ron realised that Harry had not slept in his bed last night, so he came in to check in here and saw you together in bed. Luckily, your father managed to get him downstairs before Ron woke you. Well, Ron let slip to your brothers about it and now your father is trying to deal with their reaction, but as you can tell, he is not having much success in calming them down, despite us having no issues with it. So I would suggest you do down and face them. Whatever happens, we will support you."

Mrs Weasley came over to the bed and pulled them both into a bone crushing hug.

"Your father and I are both so happy that you have found each other," she said as she pulled away. "Now get showered and changed, and then come downstairs."

Half an hour later, Harry and Ginny were descending the stairs. Holding hands tightly, they slowly walked down towards the arguing that was still continuing. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they both stopped and looked at each other.

"Are you ready for this?" Ginny whispered.

"No. I think I would much rather face Voldemort again than face your brothers," Harry replied, terrified of what her brothers might do to him.

"We will do this together," Ginny replied as she leaned up and gently kissed Harry. She led him down the remaining steps and into the chaos, ready to confront the five brothers.

"Which one of you idiots would like to explain to us why it is a problem that I am in a relationship with Harry?" Ginny shouted above all the noise. Silence fell immediately at her words, as everyone's heads snapped round to look at the couple.

"Well?" she continued, one hand still grasping Harry's hand tightly, the other now holding her wand. "Does someone want to answer me? As I am really in the mood to hex someone right now!"

The brothers all begun to talk at the same time. Their words all became jumbled together with the odd phrase, such as "too young," "highly inappropriate," "too fast" and "protect you," being clear to the couple every now and then.

Harry could feel his anger boiling up inside of him quickly. He could also see it within Ginny and knew if he did nothing, she would end up hexing her brothers, with no care for the consequences.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" he yelled. Silence fell within the room yet again. Everyone was now staring at him, shocked at his outburst.

"I love your sister! I am IN love with her! And I know with all of my heart that I have been for the last couple of years. I think perhaps I may have been for even longer than that but I was just too blind to realise it at the time," Harry said with a raised voice. As he said it, he could see Ginny's parents had beaming smiles on their faces, while all of her brothers just stood there in shock with their jaws dropped. Before he could continue, Ginny threw her arms around his neck and started covering his face in kisses.

"In all honesty, neither Ginny or I, should have to justify or defend our relationship in any way to anyone," he continued as Ginny pulled away. "I shouldn't even have to stand here and prove to her own family just how much I love her. I am actually really disappointed in all five of you, as it seems to me that you are treating her like the 11 year old she was when she was hoodwinked by Tom Riddle." Harry immediately regretted what he had said as he knew that year was still a sore point for Ginny. So he was even more surprised by who spoke next.

"Harry's right!" Ginny piped up. "All of you still treat me like that scared little girl I was at the end of my first year. But I am not her anymore, I haven't been that girl for a very long time, because it forced me to grow up. And in the last year, I have grown up even more, as I had no choice but to. So, NO, you don't get to question any aspect of my relationship with Harry. I know he loves me, he has already proven to me that he does. And for you information, I am IN love with him too!" She stood there glaring at each of her brothers, daring them to say something in response.

After a couple of minutes, Bill nervously spoke up,

"Erm, exactly how has Harry proven to you that he loves you? You two haven't….."

Ginny cut across him,

"No, we haven't, not that it is is any of your business. Even so, what Harry did or said to prove to me he loves is not important. I mean it is for me, but it is not for me to say either way." She turned and looked to Harry for support, fearing she had screwed up what she was trying to say. Harry pulled her into his arms and held her as he took over from her talking to her brothers.

"What Ginny is trying to say is that over the last couple of weeks, we have been talking about my life, everything from my childhood to what has happened over the past year. I have told her everything, which includes things I have never even told Ron and Hermione. Some of it was and is very personal for me and I only felt comfortable telling Gin. And I know which part to which she is referring that proved to her just how much I love and it is something we both want to keep between us" he finished.

"Hang on, Harry," Ron spoke up, with a confused look on his face. "You always tell me and Hermione everything. I mean, you even filled us in about Snape and his memories. You also told us what happened in the forest that night. So what could you have possibly told Ginny that you haven't told us?"

Harry could see Ron trying to figure out what he had left out, where the gaps were in the story, However, Ron's comments had only served to confuse the family even more, while making Harry feel uncomfortable, something which Ginny picked up on.

"Oh for goodness sake! Ron, you should know full well by now that Harry does not tell you everything! I mean you didn't even know he had feelings for me until he kissed me in the common room in front of everyone. Trust me when I say, it is personal and something he only wants me to know!" Ginny snapped back.

Harry's heart swelled with love for Ginny as she defended his decision not to reveal everything to Ron and Hermione. He pulled her closer to him and whispered into her ear, "Thank you," before kissing her lightly on her lips.

"Anyway, Ginny also shared with me everything that has happened to her this past year, among other things, which also happened to include personal things that she has not told anyone else," Harry continued as he turned back to face Ginny's brothers. "But based on the way you five are behaving right now, I am going to guess she has chosen not to tell you and to be honest, I can't say I blame her!"

Harry could see the sheepish looks that were now on their faces as they realised just how little they knew about this past year. However, he did not want to be the cause of yet another rift in the family, knowing how bad it had been when Percy was estranged from the family.

"Look, I don't want to be the cause of another rift in the family," he continued, "so I am willing to give you some answers about me and Ginny. And I will eventually tell you about this past year, but just not everything. To be honest, I am actually surprised that Ron didn't tell you about us dating last year."

"Well I didn't see the point after you broke her heart last summer!" Ron noted, causing more raised voices over this revelation.

"Seriously, that is ENOUGH, boys!" Mrs Weasley screamed, resulting in more silence and cowering faces. "Let them finish talking or I will allow Ginny to hex each and every one of you!"

"Thank you mum," Ginny smirked, delighted by her mother's threats. "Yes, Harry broke my heart, but you know full well Ron that it broke his heart too." Ron nodded, knowing she was right.

"Anyway, Harry and I dated for a couple of months last year. He kissed me unexpectedly after we won the Quidditch Cup and it was one of the best moments of my life. It was definitely the best couple of months of my life getting to be with Harry. But then, Professor Dumbledore died and I knew immediately what that would mean for us. After the funeral, Harry told me he had to end it, because he did not want Voldemort to use me to get to him and I understood his need to protect me. I knew he didn't want to do it and I knew it wasn't because he didn't care; he did it because he cared about me more than anything. It broke my heart but I accepted it, because I knew Harry needed to do what he needed to do as he would not be happy unless he could finish Voldemort for good. I knew though, that if he did so, we could have the chance to be together as I knew we both wanted to be."

"Those couple of months with Ginny were the happiest of my life. She gave me something to fight for, she gave me a reason to survive a war I was convinced I would not live through. It tore me apart to end it with her, I didn't want to but I needed to. I never stopped caring about her and I most definitely never stopped loving her." Harry's words finally begun to soften the shocked faces in the room.

"And as for last night, all we did was fall asleep in my bed. Best I have slept in a long time and definitely the best I have slept since the first night after the battle. Last night, we needed each other as we were both struggling with our grief, Harry even more so than me," Ginny explained. "And yes, I know you think we are too young, moving too fast or whatever else it is you may think about our relationship, but we get each other, we understand each other and after everything we have been through, neither of us can imagine being with anyone else now."

Harry, touched by her words, pulled her back into his arms as close to him as they could possibly be, resting his forehead on hers, both staring into each other's eyes. Neither caring that her family were there in the room with them, yet at that moment, both felt like it was only them two in the room. Ginny whispered,

"I love you, Harry. I always have and I always will."

"I love you too, Gin. I always have and I always will."

Smiling at each other, blissfully unaware of her family, they kissed with all the love they had for each other. And as they pulled away, they continued to smile at each other, completely unaware of how their words and their kiss had now affected those around them. The next thing they knew, they were pulled back to reality as they were swept up into one of Mrs Weasley's famous bone crushing hugs.

"Oh how Arthur and I had hoped you two would find each other!" Mrs Weasley cried as she let go of them. "I also know Sirius had hoped you would as well, especially as he thought Ginny was so like Lily! He said that you both reminded him of Harry's parents!"

The revelation startled both of them. Ginny knew that this would shock Harry and she could see him struggle with what her mother had just said about his parents and godfather. She moved back into Harry's arms, rubbed his back to help calm him and looked to her mother for answers.

"We know Hermione and Ron were with you, but we are not stupid. We know it was you, Ginny, who managed to get through to Harry and out of his self-imposed isolation the Christmas your father was attacked. Sirius was quite impressed with how you handled the situation, but he was even more impressed with how Harry responded to you. All three of us knew you two would be perfect for each other, but we didn't intervene as we felt it was important for you to find your own way to each other. And from the sound of it, you came together when you needed each other the most."

Harry could feel tears beginning to stream down his face as he listened to Mrs Weasley talk about Sirius and the day Ginny had talked sense to him over being possessed by Voldemort. He remembered that day well and just how quickly he had responded to Ginny's words. He realised that this must have been when he had started to fall for her, though he had been blinded by what he thought he felt for Cho at the time, not realising it till many months later. How he wished he had realised how good she was for him then, rather than taking so much longer to come to his senses. Harry pulled Ginny into another tight embrace, burying his face into her hair, as he came to this realisation.

"That's when you started to fall for me, isn't it? Even if you didn't realise it at the time," Ginny whispered into his ear as she held him tightly.

"Yeah, but I am only just realising it now. I feel like an idiot for wasting so much time, when we could have had so much longer together," he whispered back.

"You….no…..we got there in the end and that is all that matters. We are together now and we have all the time in the world for us," she replied smiling.

As they pulled apart, though still remaining in each other's arms, they saw Mrs Weasley turn slightly so she could address the entire family.

"To be honest, none of us had any idea you two had been in a relationship last year. We suspected there was something between you last summer, but with everything that was going on, we chose not to ask you about it. But then during the battle, the way Ginny reacted when we thought Harry was dead, well that just confirmed our suspicions. Anyway, Arthur and I followed you two out of the hall that morning after seeing you two share a hug. We found you up in the common room, curled up asleep together on the sofa. It warmed our hearts to see you two together like that, especially as you both looked so peaceful and content. We didn't want to disturb you but we both felt that you would be much more comfortable if we moved you into a bed up in the dormitories instead. The only problem was that when we went to separate you so we could move you, both of you were reluctant to let go of each other. Instead, you would both just tighten your grip on the other. We understand it now, as it had been so long since you had seen each other and obviously you didn't want to be separated. And we could tell that you were drawing comfort from each other after everything you have both through this year. So when we finally managed to separate you long enough to move you, we decided to just put in the same bed….."

"WHAT?" all five brothers cried out at the same time, but Mrs Weasley chose to ignore them and continued talking.

"The moment we got you two into the same bed, Harry immediately wrapped his arms around you Ginny and you moved in closer. It was quite a sight to see. It was obvious that you two would sleep better as a result of being with each other, and you did, just as you slept much better last night. You both needed each other so we both decided it was best to leave you alone on both of those nights. However, we have noticed that neither of you have been sleeping well during night since the battle and have been taking naps together during the day. So after much discussion, we have decided that Harry can move into Ginny's room and that you two can share a bed from now on."

"WHAT?" the brothers cried out again. Harry and Ginny could only look at each other in confusion and excitement. However, this time Mrs Weasley turned round and addressed her sons.

"I know we have our ground rules in this house about who sleeps where, but after everything they have been through, we feel it is only fair to show them trust and respect when it comes to their relationship. And as far as we are concerned, if this helps them to continue to heal, then who are we to stand in their way?" Mrs Weasley finished, making it clear that this was the end of the discussion.

Harry and Ginny grinned at each other and promptly rushed forward to hug Mrs Weasley.

"Thank you, mum!"

"Yes, thank you, Mrs Weasley!"

"Oh Harry dear, there'll be none of that anymore. I think it is about time you called us Molly and Arthur. Or perhaps if you feel comfortable, especially as you are part of the family, Mum and Dad."

"Ok Molly," he replied, knowing he needed time to work up to calling her mum. Molly smiled at this and pulled him into another hug.

"Right then, Fleur and Hermione should have finished making breakfast by now, so once you five have apologised, we can go and eat. After breakfast, we can arrange Ginny's room for the both of them and move Harry's belongings in," Mrs Weasley said with a stern look on her face pointed at her sons.

"Oh, erm, Molly?" Harry cut in nervously. "Ginny and I already have plans for today. Actually we have a few plans for the week."

"We do?" Ginny asked in surprise.

"Yes, I asked you last night. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, of course. You didn't say what those plans were though. So where are we going today?"

"Today is a surprise," Harry answered with a big grin on his face. "Though, I better inform the aurors, who I am guessing will be tagging along with us at a distance."

"Oh well, don't you worry about the room. You two go and enjoy yourselves. Merlin knows you could do with having some fun. I can get Ron to gather up your belongings and I can get Hermione to help me with the bedroom," Molly said before turning to address the brothers once again. "As for you five, I want you to apologise to Harry and Ginny, or I swear I will let them BOTH hex you, consequence free!"

"Sorry," all five mumbled under their breaths.

"Do you call that an apology?" Ginny snapped, holding her wand dangerously as Harry attempted to stifle a laugh.

Ron, realising someone needed to make an actual effort to apologise, nervously stepped forward.

"Look, I am sorry, I really am. I think it was just a shock to see you two asleep in the same bed. And I do know that you both care for each other and I can see how happy you two make each other, it was blindingly obvious to everyone who saw you together last year and considering how miserable you both were after things ended. But the problem is I just don't want to see either of you have your hearts broken again."

With that, one by one, Ginny's brothers stepped forward to apologise, all admitting that they had overreacted and that they were, in fact, very happy to see them as a couple finally.

"You know Harry, it is not going to be easy to tease you after that speech? But then again, I don't think I am going to want to cross you. You know, you being the boy who lived and saviour of the wizarding world! Only a madman would think to cross you!" George noted after he had apologised.

"Well if you need someone to tease, Ron and Hermione decided that the middle of the battle was the best time to make their feelings clear to each other by kissing, instead of helping to fight!" Harry replied, knowing full well that Ron would make him pay for the comment later on.


	5. Where It All Began

The midday sun shone down upon the sleepy village. A light breeze caused the leaves on the trees to rustle gently. The simple quiet that surrounded the village was momentarily disturbed by a loud pop. Out of nowhere, a red haired girl wrapped in the arms of a black haired boy appeared, just outside the village boundaries.

"Harry? Where are we?" asked the red headed girl as she slowly pulled herself out of the young man's arms so she could get a better look at where they had appeared.

"Where it all began for me," Harry replied. He smiled as he watched Ginny come to the realisation of what he had meant by this.

"Godric's Hollow! We are in Godric's Hollow!" she replied in excitement.

"After my disastrous trip at Christmas, I have been wanting to come back here. I feel like this could help me with finding the closure I need about their deaths. Plus, I did promise to share everything about myself with you and I definitely want to share this with the woman that I love," Harry explained.

Ginny smiled at him with that blazing look in her eyes that always made his heart melt. He pulled her back into his arms and gently kissed her. As he pulled away, he smiled back at her, happy to be sharing this tragic part of his past with her.

"Come on, I have got so much that I want to show and share with you!" he said as he took her hand in his and led her into the village towards the war monument.

As they approached the war monument, Harry turned his head to look at Ginny, waiting to see her reaction to it now they were close enough to view it properly. As he had expected, her eyes grew wide in surprise as she gasped at what she was actually seeing. The monument now appeared to them in the form of a statue of a man, a woman and a baby, of him, of his family. He continued to watch her as she stared in amazement, smiling with joy at the sight that had been presented to her. He felt her move her arms around his waist as he turned back to look at the statue of him and his parents. He pulled her in closer as they stood in silence, gazing up at the faces of his parents.

Eventually, they moved away, arms wrapped around each others' waists, walking in a comfortable silence, further into the village towards Harry's next intended stop. To Harry, the village looked much different to his previous visit. It was much more beautiful and peaceful than he had remembered. He could not help but think that perhaps this could be a potential place for him and Ginny to settle down and start a family, despite all that had happened there for him. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he led Ginny towards the familiar kissing gate and passed through it and into the graveyard of the church. Feeling more relaxed than he had done previously, he led Ginny directly to the graves of the most importance to him.

Harry took Ginny's hand and held it tightly in his as they both knelt down in front of his parents' graves. Having her there, beside him, gave him the support and courage to do what he had been previously unable to do.

"Hey Mum. Hey Dad," Harry began. "I did it. It's over. I managed to defeat him. Riddle has gone for good this time. The war is finally over. I'm finally free to live my life the way I want to." Harry could feel the tears beginning to form in his eyes as he felt Ginny rest her head on his shoulder. Sensing how emotional being here was for Harry, Ginny whispered,

"Harry, take as much time as you need. I am here with you for as however long you need to do this."

Grateful for her words of support, Harry rested his head on hers and took a couple of minutes to compose himself. When he finally felt ready to continue talking, he wiped the lingering tears from his eyes and gave Ginny's hand a squeeze as a sign of appreciation for the warmth and comfort she was yet again providing him.

"So Dad, it would appear I have the same weakness for red heads as you did," Harry continued as he laughed. " This is Ginny, my girlfriend. She is the reason I survived this war. She gave me the strength I needed over this past year. And I know in my heart with absolute certainty that she is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with."

He stopped to look down at Ginny, who he noticed was blushing at his words. However, as she looked back up at him, he could also see her love for him shining brightly in her eyes. He bent down and captured her lips with his and kissed her with every fibre of his being. As he pulled away, he smiled at her before turning back to look at the graves of his parents.

"I only wish you could be here now so you could meet Ginny. I know you would have loved and approved of her. Everyone keeps telling us that she reminds them of you Mum. Ask Sirius and Remus about her as they had gotten to know her." Harry finished with a smile filled with sorrow.

Ginny felt her heart swell with love as she listened to the beautiful words Harry was saying about her to his parents. She felt proud of him for having the courage to talk to his parents, knowing how emotional it was for him. She knew that this was her chance to be able to speak to his parents and to tell them just how amazing their son was.

"Hi Mr Potter, Mrs Potter," she carefully began as she felt Harry squeeze her hand encouraging her to continue.

"I want to say thank you to you for producing your amazing son. He may not have had the easiest life, but I feel that even in the short amount of time you were with him as a family, the amount of love you showed and gave him helped towards making him become the kind and generous man he is today. I feel so incredibly lucky to have him in my life and I want to promise you, and him, that I will do everything I can make to make him happy and I will show and give him as much love as I can for the rest of our lives." As she spoke these words, she felt his love for her through the way he held her hand, knowing he appreciated every word she was saying.

"See, she is amazing!" Harry exclaimed. " I really have no idea how I would have gotten through the last couple of years without her." As he continued, he gently pulled Ginny into his arms, holding her close to him. "Her family have been amazing as well. They took me in, even though they didn't have to. Made me feel part of their family. Ginny's parents even asked me this morning to call them Mum and Dad. And I want to, I really want to, but it didn't feel right to do so until I told you first. I know you won't mind as I know you will be happy that I am a part of a family who loves me like you do."

"All of us Weasleys love him. My brothers all consider him to be another one of them and my parents consider him to be another one of their sons. Harry has done so much for my family, he has saved so many of our lives. The only way we can repay him has been to take him in and take care of him."

Harry appreciated her words and placed a kiss on her head before continuing.

"Before we go, I just wanted to say thank you for watching over me all these years. And thank you for coming to me in the forest that night and giving me the strength and courage to face Voldemort." With those words, Harry conjured a bouquet of lilies and laid them on his parents' grave, with a promise to return soon.

"Are you ok?" Ginny asked as they left the graveyard.

"Surprisingly I am," Harry replied as he stopped and cupped her face in his hands. " Thank you for coming with me…..thank you for saying those beautiful words…..thank you for being you…..and thank you for loving me, I love you," he finished, punctuating each thank you with a kiss.

"I love you too. I always have and I always will," Ginny whispered as she leaned in and kissed him. After a couple of minutes, Harry reluctantly pulled away.

"I have one more place I want to show you. I didn't really get the chance to have a proper look at Christmas. Even so, I need your support for this as this will be the most difficult one for me to return to," he explained.

Ginny did not reply as she knew instantly where they were heading to next. She merely nodded and took his hand as he led them to the other end of the village. She knew his story well, she had grown up with it. He had told her about seeing the memory through Riddle's eyes, but to know that she was about to see the house where it had all happened, she knew that this would now make the story a reality for her. She was not sure how she felt about what she was about to see. Harry had told her about seeing the destruction, but she decided now was the time to push aside whatever it was she was feeling so she could instead concentrate on supporting Harry.

After a few more minutes of walking, the cottage came into view. The grass and ivy had grown considerably since December, making the damage to the right side of the top floor look even more haunting than it had previously. Harry heard Ginny gasp in shock, both of them having tears in their eyes as they surveyed the devastation before them.

"Oh Harry, this is…..this is just awful," Ginny sobbed. "I never even imagined it would be as bad as this."

Harry pulled her into his arms, allowing her to cry into his chest as he held her tightly and soothingly rubbed his hand up and down her back to try and help calm her from the shock. But he then had an idea as he suddenly remembered something he had seen on his previous visit, something he had thought was brilliant. He carefully reached out with one hand and touched the rusted gate, and as before the sign rose into the air before them.

"Wow!" Ginny quietly said in awe. "All these messages are amazing!"

"I know," Harry replied. "Though Hermione was not too impressed." Harry could not help but chuckle at the memory of her reaction.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"I doubt she would be too impressed by all the new messages thanking me either."

"What? Unlike you who hates everyone who thanks him all because he saved the wizarding world?"

"Well played Gin," he said as he frowned at her comment, knowing she was right. He hated the praise and the thanks, especially as he felt that there were others who deserved it as well, perhaps even more than he did. "Anyway, I want to see if we can get inside and have a look round the house. I am hoping that seeing where it all happened can help me to get some closure."

With his hand still on the gate, he carefully pushed it open and led them into the overgrown garden and towards the front door. However, the nearer they approached, the sicker Harry felt, but he continued to force himself to walk knowing he needed to do this. All he could do to attempt to settle his anxiety was to tighten his grip on Ginny's hand in the hope that he could draw comfort from her. Ginny, in return, tightened her grip too, sensing his tension increasing the nearer they got.

Harry paused as they reached the front door, the memory of that fateful night from Voldemort's perspective flashing through his mind. Ginny, sensing his worries and fears, leaned into him and whispered into his ear,

"Harry, whatever it is you decide to do, I will support you, but you know that you don't need to put yourself through this. At least, not right now."

"But I do need to do this right now, Gin. It's just….." he paused, still trying to shake the memories from his mind. "It's hard to stand right here knowing that Riddle walked this same path before he murdered my parents."

Ginny pulled him into her arms, allowing him to bury his face into her hair. She felt his tears come once again, she felt his shoulders start to shake uncontrollably after the realisation of his fleeting comment took hold. All she could do was hold him until his tears subsided and until he had calmed down enough to compose himself to finally have the strength to open the door to his former home.

Harry and Ginny sat on the floor of the upstairs hallway, backs against the wall. Ginny laid her head on Harry's shoulder as he laid his head on hers. Both stared through the door into his former bedroom as they quietly cried at the sight before them.

"I never saw the damage in Voldemort's memory. It's just….." He shook his head looking for a word. "Unimaginable." Ginny reached out and squeezed his hand as they fell back into a comfortable silence.

Harry allowed himself to become lost in his thoughts. Coming inside the house which should had been his childhood home, but ended up destroying his family, had been much more difficult than he had been expecting. Apart from the small glimpse he had from Voldemort's memory and the one photo he had, he had been unable to establish just what his life had been like before that tragic night. His parents' belongings, furniture and photos had long been removed from the house. He could only hope that if he searched his vault, he would find some or all of it there. But that was a thought or problem for another day.

"Is it wrong that my feelings about being here are so mixed up? That I am not even sure what I should be feeling?" Harry asked, knowing Ginny wouldn't answer, knowing he didn't need or want her to. Ginny could see him struggling with his emotions and with his thoughts, so she patiently waited for him to continue.

"I feel sad, I feel angry, I feel probably every negative emotion there is, if that is even possible. I mean this is the place where my family, my life that I should have had was destroyed. And it leaves me wondering what my life could have been. But that makes me realise that maybe I wouldn't be with you or best friends with Ron and Hermione. I don't want to be thinking what could have been, especially when I think I may not have got to fall in love with you." Harry paused to gather his thoughts. Ginny, again, waited knowing he had more he needed to get off his chest.

"But at the same time, I feel happy, I feel relieved and a whole load of other positive emotions because I know now that I have made my mum's sacrifice mean something, I made it worth something. And I understand now why she did it. I mean, I did the same thing for you, for everyone." Harry paused again. " I am so confused, Gin. I just want to move on and put the past behind me. Not that I can yet, not properly anyway. How do I move on when no one is going to let me?"

"You move on by continuing to honour your mum's sacrifice for you. She died so that you could live and now you are not bound by the prophecy, you can really live, anyway you want to," Ginny replied. "And I think the best way to start is by going home to find out what Mum had done to OUR room."

Harry looked at her and smiled.

"Our room. I like the sound of that," he said as he stood up and held out a hand to help Ginny up. "I do know one thing I want."

"And what would that be?"

"I meant what I said earlier. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. It is the one thing I am certain of."

"Then let's go home and start planning that life."


	6. Looking Forward

Molly looked up from where she had begun to prepare dinner as she heard a loud pop come from the boundary of The Burrow. Out of the kitchen window, she could see her only daughter and her boyfriend slowly strolling up the path towards the house. She could not help but smile as she watched them walk close together, holding hands, trading kisses and exchanging what she believed to be whispered words of love. It appeared to her that wherever it was that they had been today had done them both the world of good as she could see their happiness radiating from their eyes.

As she watched them stop close to the house to exchange words, before heading towards the garden, she thought back over the events of the past 24 hours and the relationship between Harry and Ginny. Despite her undeniable grief at the loss and burial of her son, she had noticed the unconditional love and support the young couple provided each other throughout the day. It gave her hope that despite all they had been through over the years, the pair would find a way to push past the pain and grief caused by the war. This had led to the late night conversation with Arthur as to whether they should break their house rule of allowing the young couple to share a room before they were married.

They had discussed the events of the past seven years and the role both Harry and Ginny had played in the war, both being at the forefront of the resistance against Voldemort. They recognised that as a result of all of this, both teenagers had been forced to grow up sooner than necessary, as their childhoods had been abruptly ripped away from them. They also realised that the young couple must have dated for a short period the year before, only to be then forced to separate not long after finding each other. This was confirmed to them that morning and had made their decision easier to make.

What had impressed Molly most though was the maturity with which they had handled the argument with Ginny's brothers and the complete lack of embarrassment of openly expressing their feelings for each other in front of the family. It was this, along with their nearly yearlong separation that had convinced her that Ginny would not be returning to The Burrow when she finished Hogwarts, but would be wherever it was that Harry would be living by then. She knew whatever decisions either one of them now made about the future would be made together. So for those reasons, Arthur and Molly felt it was only right to support them in whatever they chose to do.

Just as the young couple were about to reach the door, Harry stopped, looked up at the house he had come to consider his home and then turned back to look at Ginny.

"That's what I want," he said as he pointed towards the house. "I want a home which is filled with love, happiness and children. I want what you and your family have here. I want what I never got to have, what I never got to experience with my own parents. But most of all, I want to share all of that with you."

"And I want to share all of that with you too. We can have that life together," Ginny replied as she looked up at Harry with tears glistening in her eyes.

"Thank you for coming with me today. I don't think I could have gone into the house by myself," Harry paused and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "Can we go and sit down by the pond for a bit? I'm not quite ready to go back inside yet."

"There's nothing I would rather do right now," she replied as she took Harry's hand and led him down to what had become their favourite spot by the pond.

Harry felt relaxed as he lay on the grass by the pond, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin and the weight of Ginny's body leaning against his. He knew that it was for moments like these with Ginny that he had fought so hard for and that he so nearly missed out on having. With that thought, he carefully extracted himself from underneath Ginny and rolled onto his side, his head propped up on his hand, to face her.

"I think it is time for me to stop brooding and time for us to do what you suggested earlier," Harry said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

Ginny pushed herself up and sat looking at him, wide-eyed in shock at what he had just said.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?"

Harry chuckled at her response.

"I know, I know! It is unlike me, but these last couple of weeks…..actually more like the last couple of years or so have been so emotionally draining for me that I just feel the need to talk about something happier, more positive. I quite liked the idea you had for us to start planning our future."

Ginny smiled widely, before leaning down to give Harry a passionate kiss, only parting when they felt the need to breathe. Ginny couldn't help the smile on her face as she sat back to continue the conversation Harry had begun.

"Ok, let's start planning our future," she said excitedly. "Where do you want to begin?"

Harry furrowed his brow as he thought about all the things he wanted to discuss with Ginny before coming to a decision. He sat up and faced her with a look of concern on his face.

"Well, I think we need to start by figuring out where we will both be come this September. Will it be at Hogwarts, the Ministry or elsewhere?"

Ginny understood the look of concern on his face, realising it probably meant they were going to be separated for yet another year. However, she knew this time that they would be able to communicate by letters and still see each other on occasion.

"Well, I don't particularly want to go back to school, but I know that I will. I mean it is going to be hard to go back there with everything that happened this past year and it will be especially hard because it was where we lost…..F-Fred," Ginny began, as a couple of tears trickled down her cheek as she remembered her brother. "However, I feel like that if I don't go back then despite him being dead, Tom still wins somehow, if that makes any sense. Plus I think mum might kill me though if I didn't go back."

Harry reached out and wiped away the tears with his thumbs and then held one hand to her cheek. Ginny turned her face into his palm, relishing in the comfort he was providing, before looking up into his eyes. She recognised his understanding of her pain but also saw what she knew was coming, he wasn't coming back with her to school. She wasn't surprised as they had spoken about the offer Kingsley had made him before they had returned to The Burrow. She had told him that it was ultimately his decision and that she would support him no matter what he decided to do.

"You're not going to be with me at Hogwarts, are you?" Ginny sadly questioned him. "I take it you have decided to take Kingsley up on his offer?"

"Yeah, I am," Harry answered concerned at what her reaction would be. "You're not upset that we will be separated again, are you?"

"No, Harry, I'm not. I told you I would support you no matter what your decision was. It's just going to be difficult to be apart from you again so soon after I have got you back."

"I know. I honestly thought about saying no after everything I have been through since I was 11, but I don't think I can walk away from this. I mean I have wanted to be an Auror since my 4th year. Even more so since I was told I could be good at it, even if it was fake Moody who told me that. It just makes sense to me to say yes as I honestly don't think I could be happy in any other job. Attending those funerals seemed to seal that decision for me. Each one reminded me of the cost we had to pay to defeat Tom, but it doesn't stop others from trying to take his place. By becoming an Auror, I can at least try to keep those people from doing so, if possible."

"To be honest, I am not surprised by your decision at all. I think I would have been more shocked if you had decided to come back to Hogwarts instead. Just promise me that you will not do anything crazy and at least try to keep safe and be careful. We have been through so much to get to this point, this moment that I couldn't bear to lose you after nearly doing so."

Harry took both of her hands in his and looked into her eyes, melting at just how beautiful they were.

"I promise I will try to be careful and stay safe," he said sincerely, though both knew there was never any guarantee.

"Thank you. Also promise me you will at least try to get to as many Hogsmeade weekends and as many of my quidditch matches as you can as well," Ginny continued. "Oh and if Slughorn has another one of his parties, then I expect you to be there as my date."

Harry laughed at her last request, remembering the Christmas Party in his 6supth/sup year and knowing she was serious.

"Slughorn's parties, I will be there no matter what," he promised. "Hogsmeade weekends and Quidditch matches, those I can definitely promise!"

A sly grin spread across Harry's face.

"Oh I know that look mister! What exactly are you planning?" Ginny asked him suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not planning anything," Harry said, feigning innocence. He bit back a laugh before continuing. "Ok, I am! I have a meeting with Kingsley in a couple of days and I planned on asking for some conditions in agreement to me working for the Ministry. I just figured that after everything the Ministry has put me through these last few years that perhaps they owe me for what they did. I know it is cheeky and you know I would never use my name for anything but if they want me there, then I need to know they have changed."

"I have to say I agree with you on that, especially if it means you being there to take me to Hogsmeade or cheering me on at my quidditch matches. I doubt Kingsley will deny you of your request. He knows just how much you have been through and what the Ministry has done to you over the years."

Harry leaned over and gave a soft kiss on the lips.

"Thank you," he said, happy at the support she was giving him. "So that puts you at Hogwarts and me at the Ministry come September then." He paused so he could gather his courage to bring up something he knew could be potentially awkward for the both of them. "Umm, I wanted to talk about the fact that we will be sharing a room and a bed from now on."

Harry dragged one hand nervously through his hair, uncertain how to broach the subject he wanted to talk about. As he brought his hand back down, a smaller one caught it causing him to look back up at Ginny. He could see the look of understanding in her eyes.

"It's ok, Harry. I think I know what you want to say and I think we are on the same page. While I am absolutely ecstatic to be sharing a room and a bed with you, I'm not quite ready for us to make love yet." She paused as she gathered her thoughts while also noticing the relief in Harry's eyes. "And it's not because I don't want to, because I do and I want my first time, our first time to be with each other. And that's not to say we cannot do other things instead, but I just feel like we need to get past the emotional toll that this war has taken on us before we take that step."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, happy that they were thinking along the same lines.

"I am honestly so relieved you said that. I really did think this would be awkward to talk about with you," Harry said in reply. "I don't particularly want to be separated from you after taking that step either. I'm not sure either of us would want to be after sharing something as special as that."

"I agree. Plus, I think, even though they didn't say it earlier, that my parents will expect us to show some restraint, despite them allowing us to share a bed. I think by letting us do so is their way of accepting our relationship by giving us what we need right now and showing me they are ready to let me go and understanding I am no longer a child." Ginny smiled at this thought, hoping she was right in her assumptions. She was not willing to be parted from Harry any more, with the exception of this coming school year, no matter what her parents or brothers thought.

"So we are agreed on the fact we should leave any more big steps in our relationship until you have completed your final year at Hogwarts?" Harry questioned, though he knew what her answer would be.

"The big steps?" Ginny immediately countered, ignoring Harry's question.

"Yeah, the big steps, you know like moving in together, getting married, having children," Harry responded as he began to blush.

"You have actually thought about that stuff?" Ginny couldn't help but question him. While they had talked of the future back at Hogwarts, but they have never really spoken of these things.

"I do now. I did a lot this past year. Watching you at Bill and Fleur's wedding was really hard for me, when all I wanted to do was dance with you. During the ceremony, all I could picture in my head was you getting married to some faceless stranger, while desperately wishing it could me." Harry ducked his head in embarrassment at his admission.

Ginny was shocked to hear that he had been thinking about their future or at least her future for longer than she had realised. He had made it clear from the moment they reunited he had wanted to be with her always, but she never knew he had been thinking it for so much longer. She placed a hand under his chin and carefully lifted his head until his eyes met hers.

"I have never planned on marrying some faceless stranger. Even last year when you pushed me away, even when I knew I could lose you due to this war, it was only you I wanted to marry, it has always been you, no one else," she replied as she watched his eyes go wide-eyed in shock and love from her words. "You are the only person I have ever wanted to be with. You are it for me, Harry."

"You are it for me too, Gin. You have been from the moment I first kissed you."

Ginny grinned at his words, before throwing herself into his arms and drawing him into a passionate and heated kiss.

"So where were we?" Ginny asked sometime later after a rather passionate snogging session.

"Oh, umm, we were talking about the big steps we would take in our relationship after you were done with school," Harry replied, slightly dazed and with a big goofy grin on his face.

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the smile on Harry's face, something she had really missed seeing this past year.

"Ok, you are going have to stop with the smiling. You're distracting me!" Ginny said, struggling to contain her laughter.

"Actually, before we continue that conversation, I just wondered where you were planning on living. I mean, are you planning on staying here or are you going to move into Grimmauld Place?" Ginny immediately regretted asking the moment she saw Harry's face drop. Kicking herself mentally, she reached out and tenderly touched Harry's cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up the past."

"No, it's ok. It's fine, really," he replied, waving off her apology. "We can't avoid talking about the past all the time. Sometimes it will need to be brought up. Anyway, I have been thinking about it. I am not sure I want to live at Grimmauld Place, at least not permanently. It just holds far too many memories for me and not good ones. I am not too sure what to do with it right now. Perhaps I could refurbish it and keep it as somewhere to stay when I am in London and need it. But before I can even do that, I need to find out what happened after we left last year, whether it has been trashed or had any curses or traps left by the Death Eaters."

"Has Kreacher not been back there yet?"

"I never thought to ask him. I just asked him to stay Hogwarts to help with the clean up and rebuilding unless I called him. Even so, I think this is something I need to do myself."

"I can understand that. We can ask Bill to come along and help check it over for us." Ginny suggested.

Harry smiled at her use of 'we' and 'us'.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I am not in rush to sort it out, but I think the sooner we do, the better."

"We can ask him later to help and see what day suits him best," Ginny paused for a second and looked up at Harry cautiously. "Does that mean you are staying here for the mean time?"

Harry felt his cheeks flush from embarrassment.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Harry. Whatever it is, you know you can tell me," Ginny said soothingly.

"I know I can. It's just…..it is probably going to sound really stupid," Harry paused to try and figure out how to word what he wanted to say. He knew Ginny would not judge him, it was one of the things he loved most about her, but that did not make it any easier to confess to what it was he wanted. "I figured I could stay here for a while. I know you all complain but I like it when your mum fusses over me and right now, I feel like that is something I need and perhaps something your mum needs as well. I thought I could just enjoy being part of a family for a while, before I move out."

"Oh Harry, that doesn't sound stupid at all. It makes complete sense to me and Mum will love being able to fuss over you. It will give her an excuse to fatten you up!"

"Well I only planned to stay until you finished Hogwarts."

Ginny frowned at the comment.

"I was actually thinking, Gin, that perhaps when you have completed school that we could, you know, umm, move in together, find our own place, umm, if you wanted to, that is," Harry suggested nervously as he rubbed the back his neck.

Ginny smiled widely, her heart bursting with joy at his suggestion. She had hoped that they could find their own place and move in together but she didn't want to push Harry into it before he was ready.

"Yes, I would love that. It is exactly I want. To finish school and start our lives together immediately!"

"Really?" Harry was shocked, half expecting Ginny to tell him she wanted to wait until they got married.

"The simple fact is I want to be wherever you are. Obviously with the exception of this coming school year. But the moment I step off that train next June, I want to be with you, I want to live you wherever that may be."  
Ginny had barely finished speaking those words when Harry, filled with happiness, swooped in and kissed her.

A short time later, Harry and Ginny were again lying down in the sun, cuddled up to one another.

"Ok," Ginny said as she broke the silence. "What about marriage and children?"

"Well you already know I want to marry you. And while I don't want waste any more time, I also don't want to rush into everything," Harry explained. "So I figured, when the time is right, I will propose to you. I just don't want you worrying about trying to plan a wedding while trying to enjoy your final year at school or when you start playing for the Harpies."

"That's if I make it onto the team. And I can't believe you remembered I wanted to play for the Holyhead Harpies!" Ginny looked up at him, disbelief in her eyes at him remembering one of her dreams.

Harry smiled at her.

"Of course, I remembered. You told me last year. It is not hard to forget when you flew so well for the Gryffindor team that year," he explained. "Anyway, you will make it. I have no doubts about that. I plan to be at your first game and every one you play in after that!"

"But that would mean no children for us for a while!"

"Well when you are ready, we will have them. There's no rush! How many do you want?"

"I have never really thought about it. I mean I don't think I could have as many as my mum did. I would love at least one boy and one girl though. What about you?"

"Same as you. One boy, one girl at least!"

"I have to say I am really surprised we are having this conversation. I mean I know we have spoken about the fact we want to get married and be together, but this just makes it all the more real, you know, planning everything we want for our future," Ginny said, happy, yet shocked at everything they had discussed.

"To be honest, I never thought I would live past fighting with Voldemort. I always thought I would die trying to defeat him or at least take him down with me. That meant to me never being able to have my own family, which is the one thing I have always wanted. Now I have nothing stopping me from living my own life, I don't want to waste any more time, but like I said before I don't want to rush into anything. All I know is that I want to spend my life with you, so to me it makes sense that plans I make need to include you. It helps though to talk about things like this with you, like it has talking about my past. It means I can make a start on moving on from everything and towards that future with you. But it is going to take time."

"And moving on from everything meant us taking a trip to Godric's Hollow today?" Ginny asked, happy at Harry's openness with her. "Plus, I am guessing, whatever else it is you have in mind for this week."

"Yeah, it was. I need to start putting the past behind me the best that I can and that would mean going to see The Dursleys at some point. But at the same time, I need to begin moving forward and that means going to visit Teddy," Harry replied. "Plus I need to meet with Kingsley. I think there are few things he needs to talk me about besides me working at the Ministry. I also need to go to Gringotts after that and deal with the Goblins and the consequences of breaking in."

"What do you want me to come with you to then?" Ginny inquired.

"Kingsley's meeting is just for me, but Bill has arranged for me an appointment at Gringotts afterwards, so you can come to that. I will need you with me when I go and see the Dursleys and obviously I want you to come and see Teddy as he is going to be a big part of both of our lives."

"I will be more than happy to come and support you with all of that," Ginny said just as her stomach gave a loud rumble, causing them both to laugh. "I think we should head back now, cos my stomach has made it clear that it needs food!"

Harry continued laughing as he stood up and helped Ginny to her feet.

"You are most definitely a Weasley!" he said as they began to walk back towards the house.


	7. Unexpected Letters

A couple of days later, Harry could be found in his and Ginny's room. He was sat on the edge of their bed, hunched over and staring at the stack of unopened letters that he held in his hands. Having spent a good part of the day in meetings at the Ministry and then at Gringotts, it had come as a surprise to Harry to discover a bunch of letters in his vault. He had arrived back at The Burrow in a bit of a daze, barely paying attention to anything or anyone around him as he made his way to his bedroom. He was now trying to find the courage to open and read the letters left to him. This was how Ginny found him.

Ginny stood in the doorway watching Harry for a few minutes. She hated that something so simple and yet so significant for him could knock him back into a state of broodiness. She sighed. If she was honest with herself, she knew that it was probably going to be like this for a while, but she knew that eventually the good days would outweigh the bad ones.

Ginny moved towards Harry, climbing onto the bed on her knees behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. She felt him jump slightly at her presence before visibly relaxing.

"Hey you," she whispered.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered back as he leaned his head towards hers.

"Are you ok?" she asked, looking pointedly at the letters.

"Honestly? I'm not quite sure."

"The usual mass of confusion?"

"Yeah, something like that," he answered, before turning to press a kiss to her forehead. "Did your mum send you up?"

"Yes she did. Dinner is ready," she said with a nod of her head. "How about after dinner, we come back up here, have an early night and snuggle up in bed together? Perhaps if you feel up to it, we can read those letters together if you want to."

Harry kissed her softly and smiled.

"Sounds perfect," he responded as they both rose from the bed.

Dinner that night at The Burrow was louder than it had been since their return, but still quieter than previous dinners before the war. As Harry tucked into the delicious meal that Molly had provided, he allowed the conversations to wash over him, helping him to push all thoughts of the letters to the back of his mind.

"So, did you accept Kingsley's offer?" Ron asked Harry. "Or should I expect to be by myself next year?"

"Of course I accepted his offer. Why wouldn't I?" Harry replied with a sly smile, causing Ginny to giggle.

Hermione and Ron looked at each and then at Harry and Ginny in confusion.

"What did you do Harry?" Hermione asked, suspicious of their reaction.

Harry shrugged and continued eating, making sure he was unable to answer. Ginny burst out laughing at his reluctance to answer the question.

"He just had some conditions added to his contract," Ginny answered for him once she had calmed herself. "Only fair considering the hell the Ministry has put him through."

"Harry! You should not have taken advantage of your friendship with Kingsley like that!" Hermione scolded him. "You know full well he will treat you fairly and on the same level as everyone else he invited to join the Aurors."

"I do know that," Harry replied, pointing his fork towards her to emphasise his point. "But I felt like the Ministry owed me for what they did. Ginny agreed with me as did Kingsley. He was not surprised by me asking for some conditions in coming to work there. Actually he expected it and was willing to accommodate them."

"Oh" was all Hermione could say in response.

"Anyway," Harry continued. "The conditions I made affect all the new recruits, not just me. I asked him to guarantee that for those who need or want it, that we are able to go to Kings Cross on the days that the train departs or arrives. And even though we should not be needed to come in on weekends to begin with, if we are needed then he will try to avoid Hogsmeade weekends and Quidditch matches."

"That's awesome, Harry," Ron exclaimed. "And there you were worrying 'Mione that I wouldn't have time to come and visit you!"

"Ok, ok, you've made your point! Did you speak to Kingsley about our little break in at Gringotts?" Hermione asked, quickly changing the subject.

This caught the attention of the entire table, causing everyone to burst out in laughter.

"You call that a little break in?" George managed to get out despite his laughter. "The amount of damage you three caused did not exactly go unnoticed. Nor did the dragon that you escaped on!"

Hermione ducked her head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry Hermione," Bill said, having successfully contained his own laughter. "The damage was repaired within a few days. It looks just like it did before you three decided to escape on a dragon."

"But what about the cost of repairs? Who paid for it all? Are they replacing the dragon? What about….."

"Woah, woah, woah, Hermione! Calm down with the questions," Harry interrupted. "I paid."

All laughter ceased immediately as everyone turned to look at Harry in shock.

"You didn't need to do that, son," Arthur said amazed at Harry's actions.

"Yeah Harry, 'Mione and I were there too," Ron protested. "We helped cause that damage as well. We would have found a way to pay our share."

"But it was MY idea to break in AND it was MY idea to escape using the dragon," Harry exclaimed, annoyed that it was going to descend into an argument about money. "Look, I had the money and the reparation costs were really not that much. It's done now, so can we please just drop the issue?"

Silence reigned over the table for a few seconds before everyone slowly returned to their previous conversations. Ginny reached out and squeezed Harry's hand in support, making him turn and give her a smile of appreciation before turning back to his dinner.

"So what are everyone's plans now?" Arthur asked the entire table.

As the family began to discuss what they were planning to do now the war was over, Harry and Ginny listened with half an ear as they had a whispered conversation between themselves.

"What do we tell you parents? Do we tell them our entire plan or just where we are planning to be come September?"

"The latter. I don't fancy another argument with any of them right now. I mean, you know Percy will start going on about propriety and all that if we tell them our plan for next June."

"I get that. I don't fancy another interrogation myself. Anyway, we have not made any specific decisions in regards to our plans for June as it is."

Before Ginny could respond, they were interrupted by a question from Molly.

"Sorry Molly. What did you ask?" Harry asked as he pulled his attention from Ginny and back to the table.

"When are you starting at the Auror Department?"

"Not officially until September, but I will be going in for a few hours a week from the beginning of June."

Molly frowned at his response.

"I really think you of all people should get more time to relax and recuperate after everything you have been through. Do you really need to start so soon?" Molly asked, concerned for his well-being.

"I am helping them prepare for trials. Kingsley promised me it would mean not being call to testify if I gave them my statement with as much detail as possible in advance. Otherwise, I am probably going to be stuck in court all day, every day once the trials start."

"Mum," Ginny interjected, in the hopes of placating her mother, "if it helps, Harry was planning on staying here, living here for the foreseeable future."

Molly beamed, happy at the revelation.

"Are you bloody mental?" Ron choked out, with a mouth full of food.

"Language Ronald!" Hermione admonished as she clipped him around the head.

"Not mental. Just want to spend time with my family," Harry said simply, a wide smile across his face.

A couple of hours later, Harry and Ginny went back to their bedroom as planned. Once changed into their pyjamas, they had climbed into bed together and cuddled up. The letters they planned to read were laid out in front of them, waiting to be opened.

"I told you Mum would be happy about you wanting to stay," Ginny beamed as she ran her hand up and down Harry's arm.

"Yeah, you did. I'm just confused about Ron's reaction though," Harry replied as he held her close. "I mean, he told me he was planning on staying himself for the time being and that he was not in any rush to move out or move in with Hermione."

"Hermione pretty much said the same thing to me, though I suspect she may go back and live with her parents till school starts again if they return to England." Ginny paused and looked up at Harry from where her head had been nestled on his shoulder. "How about we stop worrying about them and how about we read these letters? If you are ready to that is."

"Thank you for being here for me. I don't think I could read these by myself," he replied as he moved both his hands up her back and into her red silky hair. He leaned down and captured her lips with his, pouring his gratitude into the kiss. He eventually pulled back, resting his forehead on hers.

"Ok, let's read these letters before I change my mind," he said as he reached for the pile of letters.

"Which one do you want to start with?" Ginny asked as Harry looked at each of the three envelopes. He examined each one carefully as to determine who they were from.

"I think I will start with this one," he said showing her the one he meant as he placed the other two down. "It looks like this is from Remus."

Harry carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Before he began to read, he pulled Ginny closer to him so she was tucked into his side, allowing him to draw the strength and comfort from her that he knew he would need.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I am writing this letter barely hours after I asked you to be Godfather to my precious little boy, Teddy. It occurred to me after seeing you that you were left with so few memories of your parents and that you had so little time with your own Godfather, Sirius. It made me realise that I did not want this to happen to Teddy. But if you are reading this, then it means that both Tonks and I are no longer here, and yet you won and you survived._

 _I just wanted you to know that both Tonks and I have complete faith in you as Teddy's Godfather. We know that you will give him everything you were denied as a child and love him as if he were your own. All we ask of you is that you tell him as many stories of us as you can. I know you will tell him how much he was loved by us and when he is old enough to understand why it was we died._

 _Please know that Tonks and I love you very much and we are so proud of you and the man you have become. Live your life and be happy because you are the one person who truly deserves it._

 _Remus and Tonks_

Harry stared at the letter, humbled by the faith they had in him to be a good godfather, especially after everything he had been through. He looked down at Ginny, who looked back up at him and smiled, knowing that no words were needed to be exchanged at that moment. He folded the letter back up, placed it down and picked up the letter he believed to be from Sirius.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Well, what can I say, except that if you are reading this then the time we have had together has been cut short. I hope that if this is the case that I died in battle doing what your parents did for you, protecting you. If I did, then please do not feel guilty. Just know that I would have done anything for you because I did love you, even if I never said it._

 _I am writing this letter at a time in your life when you are struggling with everything that is happening to you and around you. It frightens me to see you this way, because it is like any hope you may have had has just disappeared and it has left you lost, with no idea of what to do. All I can do is offer some words of advice, though I hope when you read this, it is at a time when you finally found that hope once again._

 _Don't let this war, this fight you have been pulled into stop you from living your life. And if you are reading this after it is finally over then don't allow your guilt or grief to consume you or to stop you from living. You have been through so much for someone so young that you tend to miss the good things that are in your life. So live, be happy, find an amazing girl (a certain redhead we both know perhaps!) and fall in love._

 _Just remember that I am so proud of you and that I am grateful for the time we had together, no matter how short it may have been._

 _Your loving godfather,_

 _Sirius_

Harry did not realise that a couple of tears had escaped until he felt a small hand thumb them away. He continued to stare at the words on the paper, happy to know Sirius loved him and did not blame him, but he wished that this letter had come to him during the summer after he had lost his godfather. If it had, then he knew the words would have helped him with his grief that he was so consumed by, rather than struggling through it instead.

More tears began to leak from his eyes at this realisation, causing Harry to drop the letter, pull Ginny closer to him, allowing himself to bury his face in her neck and hair as he tried desperately to stem the flow of tears. Eventually he managed to compose himself and pull away from Ginny.

"Sorry," Harry sheepishly said. "His words kind of took me by surprise."

"It's ok. I expected a few tears. It's the reason I wanted to be with you when you read the letters," Ginny explained. She reached up and dried the last of his tears away with her thumbs.

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely, before kissing her softly. "What would I do without you?"

"Brood a whole lot more than is even normal for you!" Ginny said chuckling.

Harry picked up the letter he had dropped and placed it back on the bed with the others. He paused as he went to pick up the last of the letters, realising that it could potentially be the one and only piece of correspondence he would ever receive from his parents, if it was from them. He took a deep breath to calm his emotions and then with a shaky hand picked up the final envelope.

Ginny felt helpless as she watched Harry battle with his emotions over the final letter. Even she knew that this had to be from his parents and her heart broke at the thought of it being the only communication between them that he would remember. She reached out with a calming hand and placed it on his shaking one, causing Harry to look down at her.

"Do you want me to open it and read it to you?" she asked quietly.

Harry could only nod, afraid to speak, afraid that more tears would come before they even began to read. He let Ginny remove the letter from his hand and he watched as she opened it and began to read,

 _"_ _To our darling boy,_

 _Harry,_

 _We know you must be confused as to why you are only now receiving this letter, but it was our wish that you did not receive this until your 17_ _th_ _Birthday and only then, if you had completed your destiny of defeating Lord Voldemort for good. We did not wish to add more to the burden you would already be carrying and we wanted you to be old enough to understand. Even as we write this letter, we know there may be a possibility that you will never read it, but we carry the hope that it will be because we all survive, not because we died and you did not. So if you are reading this, it must mean that we put our trust in the wrong person and that Voldemort found us._

 _It is our hope that if you are reading this, then somehow we found a way to protect you, to help you survive, even it means the loss of our own lives. If that is the case, then please know we would do anything for you as you are the most important person in our lives and we love you so much more than words can possibly describe._

 _We hope that you have led a good life, been raised as we would have raised you, in a home full of love. We hope you that you have made great friends that you trust completely as we have been lucky to do so. Your father hopes that you made the Quidditch team while at Hogwarts and played many pranks on others. While I, myself, your mother hope that you have met an amazing girl, someone who you love so completely, who makes you feel whole and that perhaps can help fill the void our own deaths have left in your heart._

 _Please know that we love you and will be proud of the man that you will become._

 _Be happy._

 _Mum and Dad."_

Ginny looked up to see the tears cascading down Harry's face once again. She knew the tears were not about the fact the letter was from his parents, but because he was not raised as they had wanted him to be, in home full of love. She placed the letter down and reached out for him, pulling him into arms and his head onto her shoulder. She held him, whispering words of comfort as he grieved yet again for the loss of his parents, for the childhood he was denied.

As he cried on Ginny's shoulder once again, Harry felt anger at the Dursleys for denying him the love that no child should ever go without. The anger then turned to determination as he realised that he would not deny Teddy anything if it meant he grew up with everything he had not. Eventually he pulled back from Ginny's embrace and dried his eyes.

"Don't apologise for the tears," Ginny said before he could speak. "It's ok to cry when you need to."

"I'm ok now. I cannot change what has happened or how I was raised. But I can make sure Teddy never goes through what I did."

"He won't. How could he when he has you, me, Andromeda and my entire family who will smother him with so much love!"

Harry laughed knowing she was right.

"Tomorrow, we will quickly deal with my Aunt and Uncle. I don't want to be there longer than needs be. Then we can spend the rest of the day getting to know my little godson."

Ginny smiled that glorious smile that he loved so much and he knew then that despite his past, he would never denied love ever again.


	8. Family Old and New

Ginny cocked her head to one side as she stared at the street before her. The houses all looked the same, all simple and neat with no distinct personality. But as she thought about where they were heading, it really didn't surprise her that Privet Drive was the place that the Dursleys chose to live. For them, it was as normal as normal could get.

"The houses all look the same to me. I mean I can see some minor differences," Ginny said as she scrunched up her face as she studied the street before her. "But they seem so ordinary and boring to me."

Harry chuckled at her observations.

"I lived here and I can't help but agree with you," he replied. "It was one of the reasons I loved The Burrow the first time I went there. There is so much character to that house and that's before you even walk in the door!"

"I don't blame you. I think I would get bored if I lived here," Ginny said with a smirk on her face. She grabbed Harry's hand and began to pull him along. "Come on, let's get this over with. Which house is it?"

Harry pointed up ahead towards the house he had come to hate, that he had never considered his home.

"Number 4. It's that one over there. And as I hoped, Uncle Vernon has already left for work."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the lack of car in the driveway to the house. While he knew this was the last time he planned to see the last of his blood relatives, he didn't fancy dealing with his Uncle, much preferring a simple, calm final conversation with his Aunt and perhaps maybe with his cousin as well.

As they reached the front door, Harry took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He reached out and pressed the doorbell and waited. As he did so, he felt Ginny squeeze his hand before she whispered,

"You can do this, Harry."

Before he could respond, the door swung open to reveal his Aunt. Her eyes widen in shock and her face paled as she saw who was stood on her doorstep. The last person she expected was stood before her, despite the expectation that they would never see each other again as they went their separate ways last July.

"Hello Aunt Petunia."

His words brought her attention back to where they were, helping her to regain her composure.

"Get in here quickly, before someone sees you," she ordered.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, neither really surprised by her reaction, before walking through the door into Harry's childhood home.

Petunia turned to look at the couple as she shut the door behind her. She masked her shock as she saw the similarities between them and her sister and her husband. She shook the thoughts from her head and instead wondered why her nephew had returned.

"What are you doing here? I was led to believe we would never see you again once you left," she questioned.

"Oh, umm, I just wanted to talk to you," Harry responded nervously. "It's just that I found out something information about you and my mum a few weeks ago."

Petunia was shocked, yet intrigued as to what Harry could have found out, but before she could respond herself, her attention was pulled to the footsteps heading down the stairs.

"Mum….." Dudley called. He stopped midway down the stairs and stared at the young couple. "Harry! Wow, it's good to see you!"

Harry and Ginny glanced each, surprised by the welcome from his cousin.

"Hello Dudley," Harry responded as an awkward silence settled over the house. Ginny elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh, umm, this is my girlfriend, Ginny Weasley. Ginny, this is my Aunt Petunia and my cousin Dudley."

"It's nice to meet you," Dudley said as he held out his hand to shake her hand, which she responded to in kind. "Why don't we go and sit in the kitchen, have some tea and catch up?"

A few minutes later, all four were sat around the table with a hot steaming cup of tea in front of them, with a quiet tension hanging over them.

"So, umm," Harry nervously began. "When did you arrive back here?"

"A few days ago. Dad was not pleased about having to wait a couple of weeks to return after news reached us that the war was over. But your ministry made sure that everything was in place for our return, which meant Dad was able to return to work immediately without problems."

"I am glad to hear that. Kingsley didn't tell me much besides the fact you had arrived home with minimal problems."

"Minimal?" Dudley stared at Harry like he was crazy. "Dad spent most of the year ranting and raving about you. Then when we were told the war was over and we would be coming home, he moaned about how long it took them to get us back here."

"Well, Kingsley did not exactly tell me what the problems were, but somehow you telling me that does not surprise me in the slightest."

Petunia cleared her throat, causing both Harry and Dudley to look at her.

"While this is all very…..pleasant, you said you found out something about me and your mother and I would appreciate knowing what it was so I can get on with my day rather than sit here," Petunia explained, a look of disdain on her face.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Harry said sincerely. He rubbed the back of neck, wondering how to approach the subject of what he had seen in Snape's memories. He looked over at Ginny, who had remained quietly at his side, providing silent support throughout. She gave him a brief but encouraging smile. He turned back to his Aunt and decided just to speak about what he had seen.

"I remember you saying that you learnt about the Dementors and Azkaban from some boy who had told my mum," Harry began tentatively. "I have to admit I always thought you were talking about my dad. But a few weeks back, during the final battle, I was given some memories to help me understand what I needed to do next. Turns out the memories were also of the relationship between my mum and that boy. That being Severus Snape."

Harry paused as he looked at his Aunt for a reaction. She wore a stoic expression. Harry sighed, hoping for something more.

"His memories showed me moments from his childhood, some of which included you," he continued. "I could tell you and my mum used to be close and I know the problems between the two of you began when she started Hogwarts and you were not able to go with her. You called my mum a freak that day, the same thing you called me all my life."

"Well it was true, both you and your mum were freaks," Petunia interrupted. Her shoulders slumped in defeat suddenly. "But you are right, we were once very close. She wasn't the same to me once she left for that school."

"Look, I didn't come here to cause an argument or to prove you wrong. I came because….." Harry paused. He was beginning to wonder why he had come at all. "I just thought you should know that Severus died during the final battle. He died after having protected me throughout my time at Hogwarts and all because he loved my mum. His memories helped me understand love so much more than I already did, much more than you ever did. But it made me realise that I am incredibly lucky to have found people who love me, to have an amazing girlfriend who loves me, despite the horrendous upbringing I had."

Petunia could only glare at him as he spoke.

"I have no intention of coming back here after today. I want to put the past behind me and move on. Just know that I will never forget the way you treated me, but for some absurd reason, I will forgive you. All I ask is that you somehow find some peace with the way you left things between you and my mum."

Harry pulled a small slip of parchment out of his pocket and pushed it towards his Aunt.

"This is where Mum is buried."

Petunia looked at the parchment, picked it up and then abruptly left the room.

"I'm sorry Harry."

Harry turned his head to look at Dudley, shocked at the apology he had heard.

"I can understand if you never wanted to see or hear from me again either," Dudley said, with head bowed in shame.

"Honestly, I think it is easier to forgive you than it was your parents. You were brought up with the notion I was a freak. It's not your fault your parents are so narrow-minded."

"I don't expect us to become friends or anything, but would it be ok if we were to keep in touch?"

"Yeah, I can't see why not. I would like that," Harry responded. "It would be by owl post though. However, it would not be for a while as I currently don't have an owl."

Ginny recognised the pain in Harry's voice and reached out to hold his hand.

"Harry's owl, Hedwig was killed when he left here last year. They were attacked as they left," Ginny informed Dudley.

"Oh I am sorry Harry," Dudley said sincerely. "I didn't realise."

"It's ok. You weren't to know," Harry replied. "Look, we better be off. We are expected elsewhere very soon."

They stood up from the table and headed for the front door. Harry turned back to Dudley just as Ginny opened the door for them.

"It was good to see you Dudley."

"It was good to see you too Harry."

The boys shook hands. And with that, Harry and Ginny left, finally putting his days at Privet Drive behind him.

Half an hour later, Harry was sat in a squishy armchair, cradling his baby godson in his arms. He stared down at little Teddy in awe, still in disbelief that this child had managed break down his defences and cause him to finally give into his grief that he had long hid away. He was grateful for Andromeda having understood about what had happened at the funeral. He was shook from his thoughts from the slight wiggle of his godson in his arms. Harry looked back down at his little face as his small eyes fluttered open and gazed up at him, before he scrunched up his face and changed his hair colour from blue to black to match Harry's hair.

"Neat trick, kiddo," Harry said as he laughed. "Something tells me you are going to keep me and your Grandma on our toes when you get older. But then again, if you turn out anything like your mum and dad, then I won't be surprised by anything you get up to."

Harry carefully lifted Teddy up towards his face and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Despite the fact that Teddy was currently sporting black hair thanks to his inherited skills of being a metamorphmagus, Harry could see both Remus and Tonks in him.

"Hey, Teddy," Harry softly said. "I'm Harry. I'm your godfather. I am going to help raise you with your Grandmother, now your mum and dad are not here to do so."

Harry felt someone sit on the arm of the chair he was sat in and then felt an arm go round his shoulders. He looked up to see Ginny giving him a sad smile.

"You are too young now to remember what I am about to tell you, but I will tell you again someday when you are old enough to understand. I, like you, lost my mum and dad when I was a baby. I lost them because of a horrible war we fought against a very dark wizard. And as sad as I am about losing both my and your parents, I also know they died fighting for what was right, so that both me and you could live in a better world than what we were originally born into. My childhood was lonely, but I promise you that yours will not be. Trust me when I say that with the Weasleys in your life as well, you will never be lonely."

"I can see why they made you the godparents," a voice said from the doorway.

Harry looked up in confusion as Andromeda entered the room and handed him a bottle to feed Teddy.

"Godparents?" Harry asked confused as he began to feed Teddy.

"I'm the godmother, you prat!" Ginny exclaimed as she nudged him in the shoulder. "Andi just asked me and obviously I said yes."

"It seems Nymphadora never got the chance to ask Ginny in person as she had planned to," Andi explained. "Though it does make me wonder if they knew you two would end together."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, each questioning the other with a look.

"I am guessing from your reaction that no one knew you two were a couple till the war was over," Andi said laughing. "Anyway, I would like to have a Christening for Teddy, but I thought we should leave it until nearer his birthday. I thought it would give us a bit more time to plan for it and for us to have time to move past everything that has happened these last few years."

"That sounds like a great idea," Ginny said excitedly. "But depending on when it is, depends on whether I need to get permission from Professor McGonagall, not that it should be a problem."

"If you need any help organising or even paying for it, then please just ask me or Ginny," Harry said tentatively as he looked up from where he had been watching Teddy greedily guzzle his milk. "And before you refuse my offer," he quickly continued before Andi or even Ginny could interrupt him. "I have arranged to have some money moved across to Remus and Tonks' former vault that I know has been kept in trust for Teddy. There should be more than plenty to cover all his expenses for Hogwarts, but if you need any more, please don't be afraid to ask me. And if it helps, I took it from my inheritance I received from Sirius."

"Well," Andi began to answer as she shook at her head at Harry's generosity towards her and her grandson. "I suppose because it is from the Black inheritance, I would be a fool to deny such a generous offer from you. Thank you Harry."

"You're welcome," Harry shyly responded. "I just want the best for Teddy. I don't want him being denied anything like I was."

"I can see my grandson is going to be spoiled by you!"

"Don't worry, Andi. I'll keep Harry in line with how much he spends," Ginny piped up.

The rest of the afternoon saw both Harry and Ginny learning the basics of caring for Teddy, which was a source of laughter as the two teens learned how to change his nappies. Both were excited to begin spending time with Teddy, even if for the moment they would only be weekly visits. But Harry was even more excited and awed by the natural flood of love he felt for this small baby and his grandmother, who knew he could now consider a part of his family.


	9. An Unexpected Birthday

As May turned into June, life at The Burrow slowly began to get back to normal. And as June turned into July, despite the aching gap left in their lives from the loss of Fred, The Burrow began to become alive again.

Arthur and Percy had both returned to work at The Ministry of Magic, helping Kingsley to begin restoring it to what it once was. Arthur had returned to his former job as the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, while Percy had been, at his request, shifted over from the Minister's office to the Department of Magical Transportation.

Bill and Fleur had settled back into Shell Cottage and both had returned to work at Gringotts.

Charlie had decided to return to Romania to continue working with his beloved dragons. However before he left, he had made a promise to return for Ginny's birthday and if possible, also for Harry's birthday.

George was still struggling with his grief for the loss of his twin brother. He was taking each day as it came and was slowly coming to terms with his loss, thanks to Harry. They had spent a couple of hours talking about Harry's own experience of death, his own and the many losses he had suffered over the years.

Ron and Hermione were still bickering constantly, despite having finally admitted their feelings for one another and becoming a couple. At the beginning of June, with help from the Ministry, they had set off for Australia to locate and retrieve Hermione's parents, while also restoring their memories.

Harry and Ginny had become inseparable, choosing to spend all their free time together. During the day, they would enjoy their time talking, flying, spending time with Teddy and on the odd occasion, going out on actual dates. At night, as they became accustomed to sharing a bed together, they began to slowly explore the physical side of their relationship. While they were taking it further than they had previously, they never went further than the other felt comfortable with, whilst remembering the decision they had made to wait to actually make love. Both made the most of the time they spent together, knowing full well that they would once again be separated for the year, whilst Ginny finished her education.

On the days when they were unable to spend their time together, Ginny would study and review her sixth year books or spend time with either George or her mum, even if it meant having to do chores. Harry, on the other hand, had begun working part time at the ministry in the Auror Department. His time there was split between beginning his Auror training, exercising to get in shape and working with the more senior Aurors to provide his detailed statement on what happened during the war and to give them as much information as he could in relation to the final missing Death Eaters.

The beginning of July saw the return of Ron and Hermione to The Burrow, after they had successfully retrieved her parents from Australia. Hermione had moved back in with her parents, though she still spent much time with Ron and when he was working, she studied with Ginny as to be prepared for her return for her final year at Hogwarts. Ron had begun work at the ministry, barely days after their return, at the encouragement of both Harry and Kingsley.

Most surprisingly, George decided one morning to return to the shop and begin the much needed clean up and restocking so he could reopen in time for the beginning of August. And it was on the same morning, after George, Ron and Harry had all left for work that Ginny cornered her mum in regards to an idea she had.

"Mum?" Ginny called from where she sat at the kitchen table.

"Yes, Ginny dear?" Molly promptly responded, turning from where she was tidying up.

"Can we have a party for Harry's birthday?" Ginny asked quietly, biting her lip as she did so. "It's just that his 17th was not as big a celebration as it should have been. He deserves this after everything he has been through."

"I don't see why not."

"Really?" Ginny's eyes beamed with happiness. "You don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind. Though I think perhaps you should take him out for the day while the rest of us make preparations," Molly mused.

"Thanks Mum," Ginny cried as she ran around the table, threw her arms round her mum and hugged her.

"Well if you plan on this being a surprise, then we better start planning while Harry is at work," Molly suggested as she pulled herself from their embrace.

Harry was woken on the morning of July 31st by the light streaming through the window of the room he shared with Ginny. Checking the time on the watch he had received for his 17th from Molly and Arthur, he noticed it was still quite early. He groaned as he turned over in his bed to go back to sleep. Only then did he realise that Ginny was not beside him. However, before he had the chance to contemplate where she was, the bedroom door opened to reveal Ginny carrying a tray. She stopped suddenly just inside the door when she realised he was awake.

"You're awake!" Ginny said, attempting to keep the disappointment she felt out of her voice. "Now you have ruined my plan to wake you up."

"Go back out then and I'll go back to sleep," Harry jokingly said.

"Don't you dare," Ginny warned as she placed the tray down on her chest of drawers. "I'll just have to adjust my plans instead."

Ginny walked over to the bed and crawled on top of Harry, straddling him. She leant down and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Harry" against his lips before giving him a passionate morning kiss.

"Wow," Harry said gasping as they broke apart, "that is definitely the best way to start my birthday!"

Ginny looked up from where she was now curled up beside him, catching her breath.

"Breakfast or present first?" she asked.

"I thought that was my present," Harry cheekily replied as Ginny proceeded to smack him on the chest.

"Prat!"

"But I'm your prat!"

"It's a good thing I love you then!"

"And I love you too," he responded with a gentle, loving kiss. "Ok then, I'll have my present first."

Ginny climbed off the bed, straightened her now rumpled clothes and then proceeded to open and search through one of her drawers before pulling out the present she had hid there.

"Happy Birthday again," Ginny said as she handed him the present. "I hope you like it."

"I am going to love anything you give me," Harry said smiling. "I will because it is from you."

Harry slowly unwrapped the gift as Ginny climbed back into bed next to him and curled up at his side. As the wrapping fell away, Ginny held her breath as Harry inspected the leather bound book that had been revealed. Harry moved his hand across the front of the book, feeling the leather under his skin. He was reminded of a book similar that he had been given by Hagrid when he was 11. Carefully he opened it to find a message on the first page that read,

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Happy 18_ _th_ _Birthday!_

 _While you may not be returning to Hogwarts, hopefully this book of photos will remind you of the good times you had there, despite all the bad memories you may have._

 _I love you._

 _Ginny_

Harry turned his head to look at Ginny, surprised by the gift she had given him.

"How did you come up with the idea?"

"Well, I remember the album you showed me last year that Hagrid had given you the end of your first year. I know you cherish all the photos of your parents, but I know you didn't have many of us, your friends and other family," Ginny answered, her cheeks tinged pink. "So I wrote to Dennis to see if I could get copies of any photos that Colin had taken of you over the years."

Harry leant down and gently kissed her.

"Thank you," he whispered before he returned his attention to the book and began to look through the pages of photos.

For next half an hour, as they sat and ate the breakfast Ginny had brought up, they looked through the photos, telling the stories behind them. They were amazed at the many shots Colin had taken, ranging from photos of Harry, Ron and Hermione together, to some amazing shots of him and Ginny playing Quidditch. Harry was most surprised at the fact Colin had managed to capture his and Ginny's first kiss.

However, it was the final photo that shocked and surprised Harry the most. The picture was of the young couple sitting together under their favourite tree, one they had spent many hours sat under. Photo-Ginny was sat between Photo-Harry's legs, leant back against his chest, their fingers entwined and arms wrapped around her waist and every so often Photo-Harry would drop a kiss on her head. As Harry looked at the photo, he realised that this was taken the morning they had sat and talked about what had happened over the previous year. As angry as he felt he should be for someone invading their privacy, he wasn't as there was something about the photo that just felt different.

"You look at peace in that photo," Ginny said seeing Harry's confusion. "You no longer have the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"Who took it?" Harry asked, genuinely intrigued, knowing full well it was not Colin as all the other photos were.

"A photographer from Daily Prophet took it without us realising. Mum spotted him and was really angry. Threatened him, reminded him just who it was who took out Bellatrix Lestrange," Ginny explained, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "He sent the photo directly to Mum as an apology. She gave it to me. I was planning to frame it for your birthday, but then the idea of the album came to me."

"I think we should still frame it," Harry suggested. "I mean it is a good photo and a great reminder that we survived, even if it wasn't completely unscathed. Plus, it reminds us that we are now free to be together!"

"That is true. We can go and buy a frame while we are out today."

Harry looked at her suspiciously.

"Out?" He questioned. "What exactly do you have planned for today, besides my surprise party?"

Ginny stared at him, wide-eyed in shock at his knowledge.

"Party? Who said anything about a party?" She said, desperately trying to deny her plans.

Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow, knowing full well she would not be able to resist the look he was giving her.

Ginny sighed.

"Fine! Ok, I planned a surprise party for you for tonight. I am taking you out for the day. We are going to pick up Teddy and then go for a picnic anywhere of your choosing, while everyone else sets up for tonight."

"Ok then," Harry said as he broke out into a smile. "Seeing as you are already dressed, go and pack whatever it is we need, while I grab a shower and get dressed."

Harry quickly dropped a kiss on Ginny's forehead before jumping out of bed and heading for the bathroom, leaving a shocked Ginny in bed.

Harry was sat with Teddy on his lap at the tables that had been set up in the garden of The Burrow, amazed at what Ginny had done for his birthday. Harry had not been sure what to expect when they arrived back from the day out with Teddy at the beach, he was nervous that she had arranged a huge party with far too many people. Luckily, thanks to Ginny knowing him so well, she had instead arranged a small simple dinner with only those who meant the most to him. Harry looked around the table at all the people who had come and his heart swelled with love for all of them.

Molly had spent the day cooking all of his favourite foods, including Treacle Tart, his favourite dessert. Fleur and Hermione had made his birthday cake, making a simple, yet delicious chocolate cake. Bill, Percy and George had all arrived home early from work to decorate the garden with lanterns, streamers and balloons, while George had also set up fireworks which were to be set off towards the end of the evening. Charlie, however, had not been able to make it and sent an Owl with a note to apologise and a promise to be there for Ginny's birthday.

Other people who had come included Neville, Luna, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Kingsley, Angelina Johnson (who had come along with George), Andromeda and of course, little Teddy, who had already spent most of the day with Harry and Ginny.

What had shocked Harry the most about his party was the huge number of presents he had received and the fact they were not all just from friends and family.

"These are all for me?" Harry had questioned as he had stared, overwhelmed at the number of presents he could see lying on the additional table set up.

"Yes, presents from your friends, family, fans and your many well-wishers," Arthur had informed him. "Those from your fans and well-wishers have been through the screening process at the Ministry and have all been deemed safe. Whether you choose to keep any of them is up to you. If choose you not to, Kingsley has said we can arrange to have the gifts sent wherever you want."

In the end, Harry had decided to only open the presents from those he knew. The other presents, he had decided to go through the following day, with the intention of donating what he could to charity, St Mungo's or Hogwarts.

As for his presents from his friends and family, it seems that Molly had got word out to all of them that he desperately needed many of his clothes and possessions replaced after so many had been lost or damaged. Harry had already begun to start to replace what he needed to, but so far he had only kept to the basics, so he appreciated the new clothes, books and other items he had received. But it was the presents, specifically from the Weasleys, Hermione and Hagrid he appreciated the most.

Ginny's he had received that morning and as suggested they had brought a frame for the photo of them from that morning in May. It now stood proudly on their dresser in their room.

Hagrid had taken a risk in bringing him a new Owl. Despite missing Hedwig after her untimely death the year before, he knew he needed to replace her sooner rather than later if he wanted to be able to write to Ginny while she was Hogwarts. Hagrid had given him a beautiful brown Barn Owl, who was only a little more than a few months old. Ginny had quickly, despite Ron's protests to Harry, named the owl, Ignotus, after Harry's ancestor.

The Weasley brothers, along with Hermione, had pitched in together to buy Harry a new broom, specifically a brand new Firebolt. They had also given him a broom servicing kit and seeker gloves, with a message from Charlie that he wanted to go up against him to find out just who really was the best seeker Gryffindor had ever had. Harry couldn't but laugh at the challenge.

Molly and Arthur's gift had managed to shock him and reduce him to tears. For Harry, it was enough to allow him to live, in Ginny's room no less, at The Burrow. But to present him with a hand to the famous Weasley clock had left him speechless at their acceptance of him as part of the family.

"Th-thank y-you," Harry stuttered, before heading over to both Molly and Arthur to give them a huge hug as the tears streamed down his face.

"Harry, dear, you have been a part of this family from the moment you first stepped into The Burrow," Molly had explained. "It is about time you had a hand on the clock and everyone here agrees."

Harry had looked up to see everyone, a Weasley or not, nodding in agreement. He then proceeded to go round the entire table and to their surprise, hug each and every one of them as a thank you.

Harry was driven from his thoughts from an arm going his shoulders and a kiss being placed on the crown of his head. He looked to the side to see Ginny sitting there.

"Hey beautiful," he said as he carefully leant over to kiss her.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ginny asked as she scooped Teddy out of Harry's arms and proceeded to rain kisses all over Teddy's face, causing him to giggle and change his hair to Weasley red.

"Absolutely," Harry said laughing at Teddy's reaction to Ginny. "It was better than anything I could have asked for myself. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Ginny replied, flashing Harry a brilliant smile that made his heart skip a beat. "But your night is not over yet. I still have one more present for you."

"Oh you do, do you?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

Ginny leant over; her lips closed to his ear and whispered just what she had in mind for him. Harry blushed as red as a Weasley went, yet wishing everyone would just go home now.

"Well then, I will be returning the favour on your birthday," he responded in kind, causing Ginny to blush brilliantly. He leant in and caught her in a searing kiss, which was interrupted barely seconds later, by Teddy who had begun to fuss. Reluctantly, both of them pulled back.

"Best get Teddy back to Andi. Be back in a minute."

Harry scooped up Teddy and held him close to settle him as he took him over to Andi to be taken home. He quickly said goodbye to the pair before returning to Ginny to settle in and watch the fireworks George had prepared for the night.

"So just how much did you enjoy your birthday?" Ginny asked as she snuggled further into Harry's embrace as they watched the fireworks George had now set off.

"It was the best birthday I have ever had," Harry answered before swiftly bringing her lips to his.

 **A/N: Hello! Just want to say thank you to everyone who has read this fanfic of mine. Thank you to those who are following or have favourited it and to anyone who has left a review. It is great encouragement for me! Anyway, as I am trying to keep as canon as possible, I have used Harry Potter Wikia to check a few details to use in my story.**


	10. Coming of Age

**A/N: I have only just realised I have been forgetting the disclaimer. So you all know, I do not own this amazing universe or the characters, that honour belongs to the amazing JK Rowling.**

* * *

The beginning of August brought the start of the trials for all those accused of being a Death Eater or implicated in crimes relating to the war. The Minister had made it clear that trials would be given to all, veritaserum would be used where needs be and that all sentences passed would be fair and made in relation to the crimes committed. It came as no surprise to Harry and the Weasleys when Delores Umbridge was arrested, put on trial and found guilty for her crimes against Muggleborns. She was sentenced to a lengthy term in Azkaban, despite her continuous pleas that she was innocent.

The Wizarding community was, however, shocked to discover that the Malfoys had walked away free after their trials. Thanks to their defection during the final battle, Harry had given a statement in support of both Narcissa and Draco, whereas Lucius had cooperated with the Aurors by providing as much information as he could about the Death Eaters themselves and the many crimes they had committed. However, all had been warned that they would be watched and if any evidence came to light that they were practicing the Dark Arts or consorting with any known Dark Wizard in the future, they would be sent straight to Azkaban.

The trials also meant a reduction in the number of hours that Harry and Ron worked, though while they were not expected to attend the trials as promised, they were still expected to keep up with training. Ginny was delighted with the additional hours that Harry had to spend at The Burrow and both made the most of that time, especially with Ginny's return to Hogwarts fast approaching. It was a couple of days after Harry's birthday that they were given a stark reminder of this when an owl delivered Ginny's last Hogwarts letter to her. However, instead of the mood being dampened, it was lifted by the surprise of Ginny being made both Quidditch Captain and Head Girl. The entire family was proud of her appointment to both roles. Ginny was shocked to receive both, having expected Hermione to receive Head Girl, but a handwritten note from Professor McGonagall stated she thoroughly deserved the honour after everything she did for the school the previous year while resisting the regime of the Carrows. Harry was quick to agree with the note and was incredibly proud of her, giving Ginny what he thought was a well-deserved kiss.

A few days later, when the opportunity presented itself, Harry asked for a private word with both Arthur and Molly. Having settled themselves in the sitting room, Harry threw up some privacy wards, causing confusion for both Arthur and Molly.

"Oh, umm…..sorry. I don't want anyone overhearing this conversation," Harry said as he noted the expressions on their faces.

Arthur and Molly looked at each other thinking they knew what the conversation was about, before looking back at Harry with pure joy on their faces.

"Oh no," Harry quickly said as he spotted the change. "No, I am not looking to ask for Ginny's hand in marriage. I mean I do want to marry her, but we talked about it a couple of months ago and we both agreed we had time, that we wanted to wait for now."

While Molly's face dropped, Arthur was quick to understand.

"We understand Harry. When you are ready, feel free to come and ask us again, but know that you do and will have our permission and blessing to marry our Ginny."

Harry let out the breath he did not realise he was holding and his face broke out in a huge smile.

"Thank you Arthur. That means a lot to me," Harry said shyly. "The reason I wanted to speak you though was about Ginny's birthday."

"Ok, what can we help you with?" Molly asked.

"Firstly, I need your help with hiding one of her presents. I don't want say too much now, but I was hoping I could hide it in your room until the morning of her birthday. I am not planning on picking it up till the day before though."

"Not a problem Harry," Molly responded. "You just tell me when you are going and I will keep Ginny busy."

"Thank you. Secondly, I was planning to give her a piece of jewellery, probably a necklace. I would like your permission to either give her something I found in my vault that I believe belonged to my mum or to buy her a necklace that I spotted the last time I was in Diagon Alley."

"That is very polite of you to ask our permission. We understand that you have more money that most people do. But we also know that you are not one to throw your money around, so it is no problem to us if you spend money on Ginny as we know you will not go too mad," Arthur explained.

"Thank you, thank you so much Arthur."

"Harry, dear," Molly interjected. "May I give you a piece of advice to help with your decision?"

Harry nodded.

"While Ginny was putting that wonderful photo album together, we had a good chat about your relationship. Ginny told me about your visit to Godric's Hollow to see your parents' graves. She told me that while she felt more connected with your family as a result, she still felt sad that she would never meet your parents or that they could and would not be at your wedding. My advice to you would be whatever it is you decide to do, make the necklace something that is personal for you and Ginny, though a piece of family jewellery may just help Ginny connect to your mum that little bit more."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for your permission and advice," Harry said as he got up and hugged both Arthur and Molly.

"Anytime Harry," Arthur responded. "If you need any advice or just need someone to talk to, please feel free to be able come to us."

"Good Morning, Birthday Girl," Harry said as he saw Ginny's eyes flutter open as she woke up. He bent down and gave her tender kiss, causing Ginny to break out into a wide and beautiful smile that took his breath away.

"I am finally of age!" Ginny squealed in return. She abruptly sat up, grabbed her wand from her bedside table and held it out towards the wardrobe. She quickly looked at Harry with a mischievous look on her face.

"Accio birthday present!"

Ginny's face dropped when she realised that the spell had not work.

"Did you really think, and bear in mind I know what you Weasleys are like when it comes to presents, that I wouldn't make sure that you would not be able to pull that trick on me?" Harry said as he laughed at her failure to retrieve her present. "If you could just have some patience, I will go and get the first present."

"The first?"

"Yes, the first. You can have your other present from me later with the rest of your presents," Harry explained as he got up and left the room.

A few minutes later, Ginny heard Harry call out from the hall.

"Close your eyes please, Gin!"

Ginny immediately obeyed, just as Harry stuck his head in the room to check that she had heard him. Seeing that she had followed his request, he entered the room and carefully placed her present in her lap.

"You can open your eyes now," Harry said. "Happy Birthday!"

Ginny gasped in surprise as she opened her eyes to see a ginger and black kitten lying in her lap. She quickly scooped the kitten up in her arms and cuddled it.

"Oh Harry, I love your present!" she exclaimed in delight. "I don't think I have ever seen a kitten that is ginger and black."

"That is what drew me to him. He reminded me of this character from a book I read as a child," Harry responded as he sat back on the bed next to Ginny.

"Well he is gorgeous. Does he have a name?"

"He didn't but I hope you don't mind that I named him myself, after the character I was reminded of."

"Well it's only fair as I did name your owl."

"Very true," he said before he chuckled at a thought that popped into his head.

"What are you laughing at?" Ginny asked as her kitten batted her hand with his paw.

"I just wondered whether this will be how we name our kids. You know I name the first, you name the second. Names chosen, no questions asked."

"Oh Merlin, no," Ginny managed to say as she laughed. "Those names we will decide on together."

Ginny shifted herself so she could move into Harry's arms as they both played with the kitten.

"What's his name? You never said."

"Oh, I named him Tigger."

Ginny lifted up the kitten so he was facing her and studied him carefully.

"Tigger? Mmm…..I like it!"

A few hours later, the entire Weasley family was down by their makeshift Quidditch pitch getting ready to play. Ginny had arrived downstairs for breakfast earlier that morning to discover that her brothers, Fleur and Hermione had brought her similar presents to what they had given Harry for his birthday. She had squealed in delight when she unwrapped her very own Firebolt, along with a broom servicing kit and chaser gloves.

"Well, we need the Gryffindor captain to have the very best if you are going to help retain our title," Ron had pointed out as Ginny went round hugging each of her brothers.

It was Bill who took charge before an argument could break out over who would be captain and who would be on which teams.

"As it is Charlie who wishes to challenge Harry to find out just who is the best seeker Gryffindor has ever had, I believe that they should both be captains today," Bill stated before looking over at Ginny. "I know it's your birthday, but is that ok with you?"

Ginny nodded. "No problem. I just want to fly my new broom."

"Ok then, captains get to pick their teams. I suggest you state which position you want each person to play as well. I would suggest picking two chasers and a keeper. No beaters this time. Choose from Ginny, Ron, George, Percy, Myself and Fleur. Dad is going to referee."

Charlie and Harry both nodded before moving in front of everyone. They both looked at each other as to ask who would get to pick first before Charlie gestured for Harry to do so. Harry smirked at Charlie's decision and immediately turned towards Ginny.

"Ginny, Chaser."

Groans immediately rang out among the family.

"Two Firebolts on one team. I feel for whoever plays against them," Ron exclaimed.

"Ron, Keeper," Charlie stated with a chuckle as Ron proceeded to throw him a dirty look. "You asked for that! If anything, you should know enough of Ginny's moves to stop her from scoring!"

Ron cheered up at this and threw a smirk at Ginny. She immediately whispered something in Harry's ear, causing him to grin.

"George, Chaser."

"Fleur, Chaser."

"Bill, Keeper."

"Percy, Chaser."

As Ron predicted, Charlie's team had no chance against a team with two Firebolts. Ginny was no match for Ron, even if he did manage to save only a small number of goals. As for Charlie, he realised he never stood a chance after Harry pulled off a successful Wronski Feint, which sent Charlie crashing into the ground. The game ended after Ginny and George had crushed the others with the huge number of goals they had scored between them and when Harry dived after spotting the snitch near the bottom of one of the goals. Charlie had obviously followed and barely pulled out of the dive in time after spotting Harry zoom away, a cheeky grin on his face and the snitch held tightly in his hand.

"Well, I can see that you really are as good as they say you are," Charlie said as he offered his hand in congratulations.

Harry shook his proffered hand.

"Well, I did have to live up to your name, but then again Oliver Wood was so fanatic about winning the cup that he actually once told me to catch the snitch or die trying. I don't think that match ended up going too well for me!"

A couple of hours later, the guests had begun to arrive at The Burrow. Many people had come to help celebrate Ginny's coming of age, from their many friends at Hogwarts to members of the Order.

"Molly, is there anything I can do to help?" Harry asked as he walked in from the garden to discover Molly still in kitchen sorting out the food.

Molly looked up and smiled at Harry.

"No, I am all good. You just enjoy yourself," she responded. "However, you could go and see what is keeping Ginny. It is not good to have a garden full of guests and not have our birthday girl there."

Harry chuckled at this. "I will just pop up and see how long she is going to be."

Before he ran up the stairs, he quickly popped back to the present table and grabbed his second gift to her, placing it in his pocket.

"Hey Gin," Harry called as he reached their bedroom door. "Are you ready yet? Your mum is starting to wonder what is keeping you."

The door opened a small amount to reveal two brown eyes, red and puffy.

"Gin?" Harry distressed at what he had found, moved forward to comfort Ginny. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"

Ginny opened the door further, allowing Harry to enter the room and pull her into his arms. He kicked the door shut and manoeuvred her towards their bed. Once they were sat, Harry patiently waited for her tears to ease as he comforted her as best he could.

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered eventually. "It dawned on me, while I was changing, that Fred would not be here to celebrate my birthday ever again. I couldn't face everyone feeling like this."

"People will understand. It is the first major celebration we have had since the war ended. It is going to be hard for a while. I felt the same way when Sirius died."

Ginny pulled back slightly so she could look up at Harry properly.

"I remember," she replied quietly. "I know it will get easier eventually. I think I better clean myself up and show my face. It is my party after all and I think Fred would want me to be happy and enjoy myself. He always enjoyed a good party."

Ginny stood up and straightened out the green summer dress she was wearing. Just as she went to head to the bathroom, Harry caught her hand in his.

"Before you go, I wanted to give you your other present from me," Harry explained. "I thought you might want to wear it tonight. And with what you are wearing, I think it would look good with it."

He pulled the present from his pocket where he had stowed it and handed it to Ginny. He watched as she carefully unwrapped it and to reveal a velvet box. She looked up at Harry, a question in her eyes.

"I wanted to get you something special and after some good advice from your Mum and Dad, I chose this," Harry said, pointing towards the box. "Open it."

Ginny did as Harry asked and opened the box to discover a beautiful, yet simple gold necklace which held a simple gold heart, with the words "Always have, Always will" engraved on it.

"Harry, it's…" Ginny couldn't find the words, she was speechless.

"It was my mum's," Harry continued to explain as he took the box from her and removed the necklace from it. "I don't know the story behind it, but when I saw I knew it was perfect for you. The words especially, as it was what we said to each other when we told each other we loved one another for the first time."

Ginny turned her back to Harry and moved her hair to the side. Harry carefully placed the necklace around her neck and fastened it, before placing a simple, soft kiss on her neck. Ginny turned back and kissed him as a thank you.

"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled away. "It is beautiful and perfect."

"Just like you then," Harry said before pulling her back towards him and kissing her with every ounce of love he had for her.

Eventually they pulled apart, resting their foreheads together.

"Feel better?" Harry asked, concern shining in his eyes.

Ginny melted at his concern and love for her.

"I do, thank you," she quietly replied. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now get yourself sorted, everyone is waiting for the birthday girl."

They shared one last kiss, before leaving the room to head down to the garden and the party awaiting them.


	11. Summer's End

**A/N: Thank you to all those following this story, your support is much appreciated. Please feel free to leave a review.**

 **Quick note to say that I know that the present at the end of this chapter has been done numerous times, but I couldn't resist putting it in there.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the universe in which he lives, that honour belongs to the amazing JK Rowling.**

* * *

The final couple of weeks of the summer passed by quickly and before anyone knew it, it was the day before Ginny and Hermione would return to Hogwarts to complete their final year.

Having spent the morning making sure Ginny's trunk was ready for the next day, Harry and Ginny had chosen to spend the afternoon near the pond relaxing, making the most of their final day together. Under the shade of a tree, Harry had laid down on a blanket with Ginny curled into his side, his free hand playing with a strand of her hair.

"Gin, I was thinking," Harry said, interrupting their quiet solitude.

"Oh Merlin, this can't be good," Ginny joked as she pulled back slightly so she could look up at Harry's face.

"Oh you will pay for that comment!"

Harry flipped them so he was on top of Ginny and immediately began tickling her, making her squeal.

"I give!" Ginny screamed out. "I'm sorry!"

Harry stopped and looked down her, flashing her a grin. He quickly gave her a peck on the lips and rolled off her, pulling her back into his side as he did so.

"So you were thinking?" Ginny continued, once they were comfortable.

"Well, it was about the decision we made to move in together once you finish Hogwarts."

Ginny sat up abruptly, worried that Harry no longer wanted to live with her.

Harry, noticing Ginny's reaction, sat up as well and took her hands in his.

"No, it's nothing like what you are thinking; I still want to live with you. I want to carry out all the plans we made."

Ginny released the breath she knew she had been holding.

"What is it then?" she questioned, still slightly worried about what the conversation was all about.

"Well, we decided that we were going move in together into our own place, the same day you finish Hogwarts."

Ginny nodded at this statement.

"Well I was thinking that perhaps I should start looking for a place once you go back to Hogwarts, rather than waiting till you get back at Christmas."

"I am guessing you have a reason for this," Ginny said, not really understanding the need to rush out so soon.

"I figured that we could buy a house, rather than rent a flat. I want our first home to be the home we want to live in for the rest of our lives," Harry explained.

"That was what I was hoping for when we made the decision," Ginny said, pleased at Harry's suggestion. "So what is your plan and how do you intend to choose if I am not with you?"

Harry grinned at her choices in questions.

"The way I see it is that we have three options. One, we buy a house that needs no work, or perhaps just some decorating to our own taste. Two, we buy a house that needs fixing up, giving us the chance to make it our own, but without too much need for building work. Or three, we just buy some land and build our own house, which would be completely our own design and specifications."

Ginny thought about the three options Harry had laid out for her. She could understand the need to begin their search for their home as soon as possible. If it needed a major amount of work to ready in time for the end of June, then they would need to find and buy the house before Christmas preferably. She looked back towards the Burrow that she could just about see from where they were sat. She loved the uniqueness of her childhood home and while she knew she wanted something completely different, she wanted their home to be something that reflected them as a couple and eventually as a family. She turned back to look at Harry, smiling at him to reassure him she was fine.

"Option two sounds like the perfect idea," she finally responded. "I want something unique like The Burrow, but if we were to build our own home, it may not be ready come June. So I think we should find something we can fix up."

Harry smiled and pulled into his arms and held her tightly in happiness.

"Exactly what I was hoping you would say," he said before he kissed her. As he pulled back, he manoeuvred himself so he was laying back down again, with Ginny once again curled into his side.

"So my guess would be you want something like the Burrow," Harry continued. "Not the house itself, but more like in terms of the area and land."

"Yes," Ginny simply said.

"Me too," Harry replied.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence and the peace and quiet until they were called to help set up for the family dinner, which was to be held outside.

* * *

Despite the still aching gap left by the loss of Fred, this was the happiest family dinner the Weasleys had held for many years. For first time, they could enjoy the end of the summer in peace and truly enjoy each other's company. The entire family had descended on the Burrow to celebrate the end of the summer, the end of the war and to give Ginny and Hermione an amazing send off before they left for Hogwarts.

Molly and Arthur were obviously in attendance. Bill and Fleur had come over from Shell Cottage. Charlie had managed to get a portkey over from Romania so he could be there to see off his baby sister for her final year. Percy had brought along his girlfriend, Audrey. Similarly, George had brought along Angelina, admitting the two had begun dating. Ron had gone over to pick up Hermione from her parents' new house, helping to bring over her trunk and Crookshanks' cage as she planned to stay the night and travel to Kings Cross with the family the next morning. Harry and Ginny were sat close together, much to her brothers' amusement, at one end of the table, watching the family dynamic, both pleased to see everyone happy finally.

Arthur, who was sat at the other end of the table, stood up and cleared his throat before calling for everyone's attention.

"I would like to make a little speech, perhaps even a toast," Arthur began. "I just wanted to say how much it pleases me and Molly to see each and every one of our children happy," he continued with an obvious nod towards George. "I know these last few months especially have not been easy with us all needing to go into hiding, all of us fighting in the final battle and then the loss of our Fred."

Arthur paused, feeling slightly choked up at the mention of Fred. Harry had tightened his grip around Ginny's shoulders as he felt her shudder at the mention of her lost brother.

"Therefore, I would like to make a toast to each and every one of our children, beginning with Fred. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. To Fred," Arthur said as he raised his glass.

"Fred!" Everyone raised their glass, with a number of noticeable tears in many of the family's eyes.

Arthur continued in this manner, slowly working through each of his children as well as Fleur and Hermione, before he finally reached Harry and Ginny.

He looked over at the young couple and smiled at them, before sharing a smile with his wife.

"And finally, Harry and Ginny. No offence to the rest of you, but Molly and I are so incredibly proud of these two. Out of everyone here, you two have been through far more than any person your age should have and somehow you both made it through, both the much stronger for it. But most importantly you found each other."

Both Ginny and Harry couldn't help but blush, despite the huge smiles on their faces.

"As Dumbledore always said, the world could always do with a little more love in it. Seeing the two of you together, supporting each other, loving each other, gives Molly and I so much hope for the future. And we want you to know that Molly and I, and hopefully your brothers as well, will support you in whatever decisions you make in your life together."

Both Harry and Ginny were stunned by the love and acceptance, not just from her parents, but her entire family, who they could see nodding in agreement with Arthur's words.

Arthur raised his glass again, in the direction of the young couple.

"To Harry and Ginny!"

"Harry and Ginny!"

Touched by her father's words, Ginny pulled away from Harry and ran around the table to throw herself into Arthur's arms.

"Thank you Daddy," Ginny whispered.

"You are very welcome, Princess," Arthur replied just as quietly.

Eventually, the family began to move away from the table to other parts of the garden or to head back into the house. Harry and Ginny were curled up together, sat beneath one of the trees, enjoying their last evening together.

"Do you know what I think we should do?" Harry whispered into Ginny's ear, causing her to shiver at the contact.

"I am hoping it involves you, me and the privacy of our room," Ginny said, immediately getting up to walk back to the house, not allowing the chance for Harry to answer.

Harry could only smile in response, amazed that he had found someone as wonderful as Ginny, before getting up himself and following her to spend their final night together before she left for Hogwarts the next morning.

* * *

The morning of September 1st was, for the first time, not as busy a morning as it had been in the past. Nor was it as tense as it had been for the past couple of years. With only Ginny and Hermione attending Hogwarts this year, there was no rush within The Burrow, just a relaxed atmosphere.

Thanks to both Ginny and Hermione being organised and fully packed the night before, the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry arrived at Kings Cross a full half hour before the train was due to leave. In pairs, they made their way through the barrier and onto Platform 9 and 3/4.

Harry pulled up short when he caught sight of the scarlet steam train. Ginny noticing he was no longer walking alongside her turned back and smiled at the look of awe on his face.

"The look on your face, Harry, would suggest to some people that it was your first time seeing the train," Ginny joked as she returned to his side.

"It's not that," Harry replied, still marvelling at the sight on the train. "I just thought I would never get to see it again. I am reminded of the first time I saw it."

"The only difference is this time we are here together," Ginny reminded him as she wrapped an arm around his waist. "We were strangers to each other back then, naïve little children who were ignorant of the evil in the world."

Harry looked down at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"But I wouldn't change a thing. I know there are things we both went through that we wished we hadn't and I get that, I do. But we wouldn't be the people we are if we hadn't, though I suspect I still would have fallen for you eventually!"

"Nice save Potter!" Ginny said with a smirk on her face. She quickly reached up and kissed on the cheek. "Come on, everyone will be wondering what is keeping us."

They quickly manoeuvred their way through the crowds to where the entire family was stood. George and Charlie immediately grabbed Ginny's trunk and placed it in the same compartment they had already placed Hermione's. As they did so, Ginny began to make her goodbyes.

As Ginny did this, Harry walked over to Hermione and hugged her.

"I am going to miss you and Ron this year," Hermione said, as tears began to well up in her eyes. "It won't be the same without you two."

"Of course, it won't," Harry chuckled as he pulled away. "There will be more time for you to study and less chance of you getting in trouble for once and risking getting expelled."

Hermione started laughing. "Well, that is true. Perhaps I can have a quiet year at Hogwarts for once. Obviously I need to be by myself for that to happen!"

"It would seem so," Harry said as he pulled her into another hug. "I will see you at the first Hogsmeade weekend, ok?"

Hermione nodded. "And you'll….."

"Yes," Harry interrupted. "I will make sure Ron is there. I doubt he will forget though, but I'll remind him just in case. Have a good year, Mione."

Harry locked eyes with Ron, signalling to him to take Hermione from him, which Ron immediately did. Harry then turned to Ginny, who had just approached him, having said her goodbyes to her family.

"I got you something," Harry spoke before Ginny could do or say anything. He pulled out a parcel from his pocket, but paused before handing it over. "I would say wait until you get to school, but I know you well enough to know you won't. So, just wait till you are on the train until after the Prefects Meeting. Just know I will be waiting for your response."

Ginny looked at him confused, wondering what he meant. She ignored her worries as she took the present from his hand, noting the envelope attached to the parcel. She then grabbed Harry in tight hug, realising the time they had been dreading had come.

"I am going to miss you so much," she whispered, as she tried to force the tears back.

"I'm going to miss you too," Harry responded, pulling her closer. "It is only ten months and we will be in contact the entire time. It won't be like last year."

"I know," Ginny whispered as she pulled him down into a fierce kiss, not caring that her entire family or even the platform was looking on as she said her goodbyes to Harry.

"I love you," Harry said as they finally pulled away, foreheads resting against the other.

"I love you too," Ginny responded. "I'll see you in a few weeks. I will owl you the dates you need to know."

Harry just nodded in response, as she pulled away finally and got on the train.

* * *

Two hours later, Harry was back in his bedroom at The Burrow. He was sat on the bed, currently reading through the Auror training manual, in preparation for the official start of his training, despite having started back in June. In all honesty, he was not really reading the words on the page, it was more like he was staring at them as he waited patiently for the call he knew was to come.

Harry felt a sudden warmth next to him. He quickly placed the book down and picked up a hand held mirror from where the warmth was emanating. As he held it in front of his face, Ginny's face swam into view on the mirror.

"Hey Gin," Harry answered. "Do you like your present?"

"I love it, Harry!" Ginny responded excitedly. The package that Harry had given her had been a mirror similar to one Harry was currently holding. As the letter that came with it explained, it was a two way mirror that would allow her and Harry to communicate with each other, while she was away at school.

"I thought you would. I doubt we will be able to use them as regularly as we would like, but I thought it would help ease any loneliness we have while we are separated from each other."

Ginny smiled at him, swiping at the tears that were threatening to fall thanks to Harry's thoughtful present.

"Don't think this will get you out of sending me any letters," she chuckled. "I will need them to help sustain me between calls on this mirror, your next letter and visits to Hogsmeade."

"I never expected anything less. In fact, I will be sending Ignotus later on. It is about time he had a job," Harry said, before looking away from the mirror for a second. "I'm sorry," he said as he turned back. "Your mum is calling me for lunch."

"It's ok. I need to patrol the train anyway. Plus Hermione is throwing me looks for not being social. Her and Luna say hello by the way."

"Say hello to them back for me," Harry said laughing at the comments about his best friend. "Call me after the feast if you are not too tired, ok. I love you."

"I love you too."


	12. First Home

**A/N: Finally another chapter for you. I have to say this chapter took a complete different direction from my original plan, but I am actually happy with it. We are also at the half way point in my planned outline for this story as well!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Despite how much Harry and Ginny missed one another, neither one found themselves sinking into loneliness or depression at being separated. Between their regular letters and calls via their mirrors, both felt they were able to handle being apart from each other. It also helped that they were both kept busy. Ginny was busy dividing her time between her school work, her Head Girl duties and running quidditch practices for the Gryffindor team. Harry, on the other hand, had now officially begun his Auror training, which had become much more intense than the previous three months. His free time was spent visiting Teddy and Andromeda on a regular basis, while also organising the refurbishment of Grimmauld Place and searching for the perfect home for himself and Ginny. Time had moved along quickly for Harry and Ginny as a result. Before they both knew it, the first Hogsmeade weekend was upon them.

Early Saturday morning, unbeknownst to Ginny who was currently getting ready for the day in her dorm, Harry had flooed directly from The Burrow into the Headmistress' office, stumbling as he did so. Professor McGonagall, who had been awaiting Harry's arrival, failed to stifle her laughter as Harry tripped and fell into her office.

"Good Morning Mr Potter," the usually stern professor said as she chuckled at the sight before her.

Harry grunted as he shook his head to shake off the effects of his fall before he stood up.

"If I was not so intent on surprising Ginny, I would have just apparated and met her in the village instead," he scowled. He took a deep breath to compose himself before turning to face the Headmistress.

"Good Morning Professor McGonagall."

"Good Morning Harry," she said again, this time without laughter.

"Thank you for allowing me to do this. What time do I need to have Ginny back here for?"

"I thought that 6pm would be appropriate. I figured with what you plan to do, a little additional time would help you out."

"I doubt I'll need it, but it is much appreciated anyway," Harry said, bowing his head slightly in thanks.

"Well, if you wish to be in the Great Hall before Miss Weasley arrives, I would advise you move along now."

"Thank you again Professor McGonagall," Harry replied as he turned to leave.

"You are very welcome Harry," Professor McGonagall responded with a smile on her face. "And remember, you are welcome to stay for the feast tonight."

"I do. Thank you!" Harry called out as he made his way out of the office and into the corridor.

As Harry walked down to the Great Hall, covered by his invisibility cloak, Ginny was upstairs in her dorm finishing getting ready for the day. She had dressed warmly for the day in Hogsmeade, wearing jeans, boots and a sweater. She was currently stood in front of a mirror brushing her hair through, having decided to leave it down for Harry.

As she pulled the brush through her long red locks, her mind drifted as she thought about their time apart the last couple of months. They had regularly exchanged letters, all of which had surprised her in terms of their content. She had always known Harry was not good when it came to expressing his feelings and he had been getting so much better doing so over the summer. But his letters had still shocked her with their honesty and the romantic and heart-warming things he had included.

It was these letters and the conversations on their mirrors that had kept her going the past two months and they had also kept her sane. Being a 7th year had meant a huge increase in her workload and alongside her Head Girl and Quidditch duties, there had been days when she had just wanted to quit school and go home to Harry. But somehow the letters and the late night talks with him had calmed her immensely. She was incredibly grateful for the support that Harry was giving her.

Someone calling her name roused her from her thoughts. She focused her eyes again, looking into the mirror to see Hermione behind her.

"Are you ok Ginny?" Hermione asked cautiously. "You seem to be in your own little world there."

"Oh, I am fine, just thinking," Ginny replied, pushing all her thoughts aside.

"What about?" Hermione queried. She knew it had not been easy for Ginny to leave Harry to come back to school. With the busy schedule she had, Hermione was amazed by how well Ginny had been coping with it all.

"Just how busy we've been since we have returned to school," Ginny replied before she put her brush down as she turned to face Hermione with a huge smile on her face. "I'm looking forward to having the day off to relax and spend time with Harry."

"Well let's get down to breakfast then," Hermione said as she grabbed Ginny's hand to pull her out of the dorm. "That way you can see Harry sooner!"

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at Hermione's enthusiasm.

About ten minutes or so later, Ginny stood just inside the entrance to the Great Hall, frozen in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. There, in the middle of the hall, sat Harry at the Gryffindor table. Ginny shut her eyes and slowly opened them again to check she wasn't dreaming. Harry was still there. A huge smile spread across her face at the realisation that he had come early to surprise her. It was at that moment that Harry decided to look up and towards where Ginny was stood. When he saw her standing there, he too broke out into a smile before he stood up to greet her. Ginny took this as her cue and ran the length of the hall, straight into his arms. They held on to each other tightly, revelling in their closeness that they had not been able to share the past couple of months.

"You came early," Ginny whispered.

"The first of many surprises today," Harry whispered, before he pressed a kiss on the side of her head. He then gently pulled away from Ginny and ushered her into a seat at the table where he had been sitting.

Hermione had sat herself opposite the couple and had taken to looking at them with an amused look. They were sat as close as they possibly could be and were in their own little world, oblivious to those around them, as they enjoyed being together again for the first time in two months. Knowing there would be no talking to them while they were like that; she turned to her breakfast and a copy of the Daily Prophet that had just been delivered.

"So…..you said this was the first of many surprises today," Ginny queried as she began to serve herself breakfast.

Harry grabbed the two files that lay next to his plate and handed them over to Ginny without a word. Ginny took the files, looking at them and then Harry in confusion.

"This is your second surprise," he explained. "I promised you I would not choose or buy a house without consulting you and I didn't. Those two files have the details of the two houses that fit the description of what we wanted best. Professor McGonagall has given me permission to take you to view either or both of them today."

Ginny squealed in delight, catching the attention of all those who currently present for breakfast in the hall. Realising everyone was staring; Ginny felt her cheeks heat up as she buried her face in the crook of Harry's neck. She mumbled an apology before she composed herself, sat back up and kissed Harry.

"Ok, before I look at these files, is there anything I should know? Do you have a preference?" Ginny asked once she felt calm.

"The files will tell you everything you need to know. I do have a preference, but I'm not telling you as I don't want to influence your decision."

Harry turned back to his breakfast, leaving Ginny to browse through the information on the houses. Ginny loved both of Harry's choices, though she did have a preference, which she suspected was the same as Harry's. Quite honestly, she was highly impressed that he had taken the time sought out properties that matched exactly what they both wanted.

As agreed, both properties needed to be renovated and refurbished, luckily though neither needed any serious building work. Both were located on the outskirts of the nearest town or village, with plenty of land surround each property. Luckily, both were also wizarding properties which had been abandoned during the war. Therefore, neither needed converting and they would be able to start any work needed immediately.

The first property was located in Ottery St Catchpole, on the other side of the village from her parents' house. The house itself was large with six bedrooms. While Ginny could see the potential, she could also list a number of problems. It was too close to her parents for her liking, it had too many bedrooms, it was far larger than they needed and it appeared to have the need for more work than what they originally planned for.

She closed the file and passed it back to Harry with a simple "No" without seeing his expression of relief or the patronus he quickly sent off to confirm the viewing of the second property. Hermione, however, did notice and raised a questioning eyebrow at Harry, but he just nodded his head towards Ginny. They didn't need to wait long for Hermione to understand why.

Ginny gasped in delight. She turned to Harry with a big smile on her face. "It's perfect!"

"Good," he said, kissing her softly. "I've just sent a patronus off confirming which house we will be viewing this afternoon."

"So what is the plan for today?" Ginny asked, feeling confused to the changes of what she had thought would be happening.

"Well seeing as I never got to take you to Hogsmeade before, I was hoping you would allow me the honour of doing so this morning?" Harry asked, flashing a cheeky smile at her.

Ginny just nodded, dumbfounded at the plans he had made.

"We are meeting up with Ron and Hermione for lunch at midday," Harry continued. "Then we will be heading over to see the house. How long we are there will depend on whether we decide to buy it and start the paperwork. And I was….."

"We?" Ginny interrupted, shocked at how Harry just brushed over the statement of them buying the house together.

"Yes, we," Harry repeated, looking at Ginny. He was confused at what she was questioning.

"But I don't have the money, anywhere near that sort of money," Ginny said as she dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Baby, I know," Harry responded as he pulled her into his arms. "But I want to do this for us; I don't want us worrying about paying for the house in the years to come. Plus I was planning on having your name on the deeds alongside mine."

Ginny knew that this was not about Harry flashing his cash; it was about securing their future. She could tell from the sincerity of his words. She looked back up at him, bringing her forehead against his and gave him a shy smile.

"Ok," she whispered just before she kissed him.

"Good," Harry responded with a huge smile. "Now let's go and enjoy our day together."

After spending the morning together, walking through the streets of Hogsmeade, exploring the shops before having lunch with Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny apparated to the village of Godric's Hollow, where their preferred property was located.

Harry had been surprised to find a house that met their specifications that resided on the outskirts of the village. He had only looked into what properties in Godric's Hollow were available on the off chance of finding something. The house was the perfect size, not too big for just the two of them, but not too small for when they started a family. Work was obviously needed thanks to how long it had been abandoned, but nothing too severe that could potentially delay them moving in at the end of June as they were planning.

Arriving at the boundaries of the property, they found a man of medium height who looked to be in his late 30s or early 40s, despite his greying hair. Despite the fact the man was wearing a simple black muggle suit, Ginny was uncertain to whether he was a wizard or not. So she was surprised when Harry approached him confidently.

"Mr Barnes, so good to see you again," Harry said as he shook the other man's hand. "Thank you for allowing us to come and view the property today."

"No problem, Mr Potter," Mr Barnes replied before he turned to Ginny. "And this must be Miss Weasley. Mr Potter has told me much about you. It's nice to finally be able to put a face to the name."

Ginny smiled and held out her hand.

"I hope it was all good, nothing too bad," she replied jokingly as they shook hands.

The trio shared a chuckle at Ginny's joke before they ventured up the short path to the house.

The property itself was a simple red bricked three floor house, set on extensive grounds. It was far enough from the village to guarantee their privacy, but not too far that it would make them feel isolated.

Over the next hour, Harry and Ginny wandered through the property and grounds, discussing the changes they would make if they brought it. A simple look between them when they discovered the outdoor terrace on the top floor confirmed to each other that they had found their home.

"So….." Harry said as he turned to Mr Barnes. "What do we need to do to make this place ours?"

An hour later, having been to Gringotts to complete the paperwork and settle the payment, Harry and Ginny were back in Godric's Hollow, having apparated to and walked from their newly acquired house. Harry had one more place he wished to visit before he and Ginny returned for the Halloween Feast at Hogwarts.

Even though he knew he could conjure flowers, he decided instead to pop into the local florist. Holding onto Ginny's hand, he went in and approached the counter. An older lady who reminded Harry of Mrs Weasley, just older with grey hair, smiled as she saw the young couple enter her shop.

"Can I….." The older lady stopped what she was saying and froze in shock at what she saw. A smile then broke out on her face. "Oh my, little Harry Potter! Haven't you grown up into a handsome young man?!"

Ginny stifled a giggle, burying her head into Harry's shoulder, while Harry just blushed as he attempted to flatten his fringe and cover his scar.

"Oh no, I'm sorry," the older lady said, realising her mistake. "No, no, I did not recognise you because of your scar. It was…..well….. you look so much like your father, James. It is uncanny!"

Harry's jaw dropped in shock as Ginny looked up to see his reaction. She squeezed his hand in support.

"Sorry, he is usually recognised due to his scar," Ginny spoke on behalf of Harry. "Did you know Mr Potter?"

"Oh yes, I did know James and Lily," the lady responded with a sad smile. "I remember them well. Such a lovely young couple, very proud parents as well."

Harry couldn't help but smile at the statement.

"I remember when you were born," she continued. "James came in the day after. He had the biggest smile on his face as he brought some flowers for Lily. Oh I have just realised how rude I am being, not introducing myself. My name is Betty, the owner of this store. Not a witch sadly, just a squib."

"Nice to meet you, Betty," Harry said as he shook her hand. "And this is my girlfriend, Ginny. We were actually hoping to get some flowers, something suitable to lay on my parents' graves."

"Oh of course. Give me a few minutes. I know just what to put together for you."

Half an hour later, Harry and Ginny had been and gone to the graveyard, having laid down a bouquet of his mum's favourite flowers, similar to what they had been told his dad had brought when Harry had been born.

They were now walking back to their house, from where they plan to apparate back to Hogwarts from.

"I think I am going to love living here," Harry said, breaking the comfortable silence. "Hopefully, I can find out some more about my parents and my time here when I was a baby."

"That would be great," Ginny excitedly responded. "I suspect Betty would be willing to tell you some stories."

"I am so happy you chose this property. I was half convinced you would prefer the other one because it is closer to your parents."

"That is precisely why I didn't," Ginny admitted. "Merlin, that sounds so bad, doesn't it?"

Harry grabbed Ginny around the waist, pulling her close to him before kissing her soundly.

"It is not a bad thing to want your own space, but even being in a different town will not stop your mother from flooing over to see us!"

"Well, my mother will have to learn to check as to when she can come over." Ginny paused for a moment before looking up with a mischievous look in her eye. "So will Ron for that matter, especially if he doesn't want to be hit with my bat bogey hex!"

Harry threw his head back as he laughed; knowing full well Ginny was serious.

"Merlin, I love you, Gin!" Harry said still chuckling. "But we do need to get back to Hogwarts if we are going to make the feast."

"I love you too by the way," Ginny said as Harry took her arm and apparated them to Hogsmeade.


	13. The First Christmas

**A/N: Finally another chapter for you. For future reference, please note that I aim to update this story at least once month. Also warning, there is a lot of fluff towards the end of this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The next couple of months passed quickly with the same continued communication as the previous two months. Their owl, Ignotus, got quite the work out flying back and forth between The Burrow and Hogwarts as he delivered many letters and information about their plans for the house.

The following weekend after Halloween, as promised, Harry attended the first Quidditch match of the season to watch Ginny lead Gryffindor to a massive victory over Slytherin. He had been invited to stay for the party in the common room afterwards, where he spent most of the time snogging Ginny in the corner. Both knew they needed to make the most of the minimal time they had together as they wouldn't be seeing each other in person until the Hogsmeade weekend just before Christmas.

The Hogsmeade weekend came quickly and the young couple spent it shopping for Christmas presents for the family before spending the rest of the cold and snowy day warming up with a butterbeer or two, while catching up with friends in the Three Broomsticks.

A few days later, it was with great reluctance that Harry returned to Hogwarts to fulfil the promise he had made to Ginny to attend the Christmas party thrown by Professor Slughorn. In the end, it had been worth the trip just to see Ginny in the stunning green dress robes that they had brought the previous weekend, but also to see her face when Gwenog Jones offered her trial for the Holyhead Harpies. It had been a long time since he had seen Ginny speechless.

The following day, Harry had popped into Diagon Alley to pick up Ginny's Christmas presents before he went to meet her off the train at Kings Cross. With time to spare, he decided to pop in and see George at his shop so he could run an idea passed him.

Harry grinned when he saw the shop. Despite how often he had passed it or even popped in, it always made him smile. It had taken a good couple of months to get the shop back up and running as it had been completely ransacked, even with the number of wards the twins had put up around it. Once the shop had reopened, it was obvious to all those who knew George well that it was helping him to deal with the loss of Fred as he continued to live out their dream, which in turn kept Fred's memory alive.

Harry entered the shop and was not surprised to only find a handful of customers, though he knew that it would be very busy in the days to come. He immediately made his way to where the till was located and saw only Verity there, who had graciously returned when George had asked.

"Hey Verity," Harry said when she noticed him. "Is George available?"

"He's in his office. You can go straight through."

"Thanks," Harry replied as he headed to where he knew the office was located.

Harry saw that the door to the office was slightly ajar and he could see George concentrating on what was probably necessary paperwork for the shop. Not wanting to scare him, Harry knocked first before sticking his head round the door.

"Hey George," Harry said as George looked up, who then broke into a grin at the sight of him.

"This is unexpected," George said, waving Harry in. "Come on in, take a seat."

Harry entered and went to sit on the chair that he had known Fred to use previously.

"I thought you would be at Kings Cross already, eagerly awaiting my baby sister," George teased.

Harry shook his head with a laugh.

"I would not let Ginny hear what you just called her. She would hex you so fast for that. Anyway, I still have a bit of time before the train pulls in and I thought I would pop in and see you to discuss an idea I had with you."

George noticed that Harry's eyes were dancing with amusement as he spoke.

"This idea wouldn't happen to be full of fun and mischief, would it?" George asked, sitting up straighter in interest.

"Right in one, George," Harry responded. "A bit of fun and mischief is always needed during hard times."

George's eyes lit up, having immediately cottoned on to what Harry was suggesting.

"So what exactly is the plan?" he asked, amused by the more playful Harry.

"Christmas morning and something simple," he responded. "Oh, we have to fill Gin in about this. I don't fancy being on the end of her wand any time soon."

George shook his head in laughter.

"You are so under her thumb!"

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Harry said happily before they started making plans.

 **HP &GW**

"Harry!"

Harry turned towards the voice and saw it was Ginny just in time to catch her as she threw herself into his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist. Neither said anything as their lips immediately met in a searing kiss. They only pulled away when the wolf whistles and cheers penetrated their little bubble of bliss. Harry gently let Ginny down on to her feet, but kept her in his arms as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Hi," he whispered breathlessly.

"Hi," Ginny whispered back.

Neither said anything more for a few minutes as they gazed into each other's eyes, goofy smiles on their faces. It was only when Ron loudly reminded them that they had only just seen each other last night that they pulled away from each other and moved to get her luggage.

Once they got her trunk off the train, Harry shrunk it and put it in his pocket, before handing over the carrier holding Tigger to Ron. Ginny just looked at him, confused to what was going on.

"Tell your mum, we'll be home in about an hour," Harry said directly to Ron. "We're taking a walk over to Grimmauld Place," he continued having turned to Ginny.

Once Ron and Hermione had apparated back to The Burrow, Harry took Ginny's hand and led her through the magical barrier and out of Kings Cross Station into Muggle London.

"So why are we heading to your house?" Ginny asked, having waited till they got out of the station before speaking.

"Two reasons, actually three reason," Harry answered as he wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulders and pulled her into his side.

Ginny sighed at the contact as she snuggled in close.

"One, I wanted an excuse to spend time with just you before we headed back to The Burrow," he continued. "Two, I wanted you to see the house now it is complete and before I sold it, which is the main reason we are heading over there."

"You found a buyer?" Ginny blurted out in shock.

The house had only been finished and put on sale a week earlier. Harry had kept her informed of the developments and both had agreed that it was better to sell it immediately, rather than hold on to it.

"Yeah I did," Harry said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm not sure you'll approve of whom though."

Ginny stopped walking, causing Harry to stop as well.

"What do you mean?" she asked, an eyebrow risen in suspicion.

"I didn't get Mr Barnes to put it up for sale for us," Harry began to explain. "I wanted to offer it to someone else first and they accepted."

"Who?" Ginny bluntly asked, concerned by Harry's decision.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry mumbled.

"Malfoy?" Ginny was stunned. He was the last person she would have thought of.

"Yes, Malfoy," Harry sighed before he began to explain. "I figured the house should go back to the family. I know Teddy is a descendent of the Blacks, but even I don't want him having the house. Malfoy, therefore, seemed to be the best option."

Ginny could understand Harry's reasoning. She didn't have to like it, but she could understand it. To be honest, she felt sorry for the Malfoys. They had been fined heavily and put on probation. Perhaps this was Harry's way of helping them out, of giving them a chance to change for the better.

"It's nice of you to offer him the chance to buy it," she eventually responded. "But I wouldn't tell Ron."

"If he finds out, it will be well after the ink has dried on the contract," Harry laughed. "Plus I trust you to hit him with a Bat Bogey hex if he tries anything!"

"It would be my pleasure, baby," Ginny said, an evil grin on her lips.

Harry bent down and gently kissed her. "That's my Ginny!"

A short walk later, they rounded the corner onto Grimmauld Place, laughing as they talked about Professor Slughorn's Christmas Party. They stopped abruptly when they saw a flash of blonde hair from across the road. There, leaning against the railings of Grimmauld Square, was Draco Malfoy, nervously looking around. They quickly approached.

"Malfoy," Harry said cordially as they neared where Draco stood.

"Potter, Weasley," he responded, more politely than either Harry or Ginny had ever heard him.

Harry quickly handed him a slip of parchment with the address on.

"Fidelius?" Draco asked.

"Yes and I spoke to Professor Flitwick last night," Harry answered. "He has agreed to help you reset the wards if you wish. Just contact him when you are ready to do so."

An hour later, they had toured the refurbished house, which had impressed both Draco and Ginny with the light and open space they had seen. They had signed the contract, plus organised the payment for Harry.

As they were leaving, Draco stopped Harry.

"Thank you," he said. "For everything."

Harry didn't need Draco to expand on it, he understood.

 **HP &GW**

Arriving back at The Burrow, Harry and Ginny discovered that the rest of the family were already there, relaxing in the sitting room as Molly cooked what appeared to be a feast for a small army.

"There you two are," Molly said as she swept them both into a bone crushing hug. "I was beginning to wonder where you had got to."

"Sorry Molly," Harry sincerely said as he pulled away. "I wanted to show Gin the refurbishment of Grimmauld Place before I completed the sale on it."

"It's beautiful, mum," Ginny interjected before Molly could start questioning Harry. "Harry and Kreacher did an amazing job. The rooms are clean and bright. If it wasn't for the fact that I don't want to live in London, I think I would have been happy to have lived there."

Molly looked at the young couple before her and sensed there was something they were not telling her. However, she decided not to question them, figuring if it was important they would tell her when they were ready.

"You might as well get washed up for dinner. It's nearly ready," Molly said, shooing them out of the kitchen. "Oh and Ginny, Ron put Tigger up in your bedroom."

"Thanks mum," Ginny called as they walked into the sitting room.

Half an hour later, after a welcome home hug from each member of the family and having washed up, Harry and Ginny were sat back in the kitchen with the family, enjoying the delicious meal Molly had cooked. Conversations flowed easily around the table, with a much more relaxed atmosphere than there had been many months before.

"So Harry," Arthur said from across the table. "Molly informed me that you sold Grimmauld Place."

Silence permeated the kitchen as Harry swallowed the food he had been chewing.

"I did indeed," Harry finally responded with a nod.

Before Arthur could continue to talk, a snort came from the end of the table. Everyone turned to see it was Ron who had done so.

"What?" Ron asked when he realised the entire table was looking at him. "I'm just surprised he managed to sell a house that is so dark."

"I refurbished it," Harry said bluntly. "I would have shown everyone, but I had an interested buyer."

"Who brought it?" Hermione asked, having nudged Ron in the ribs for his rude remark.

"Oh, umm….." Harry said, feeling uncomfortable with the question, not wanting to reveal the person in question. He felt Ginny take his hand, causing him to turn to look at her. Seeing the support in her eyes, he turned back to the table, bracing himself for the uproar his answer would probably bring.

"Draco Malfoy."

Silence descended on the kitchen as the family processed what Harry had said. Before any protests could be made, Ginny stepped in to defend his decision.

"Harry told me he wanted to offer the house to someone in the Black family and Draco seemed to be the most obvious choice," she explained, receiving a smile from Harry in response. "Plus, Draco actually thanked Harry for everything."

"That was decent of you, son," Arthur said in praise, breaking the family's silence.

Harry blushed from the compliment, though he smiled at the sentiment of being called son.

"Was that why you were at Gringotts earlier?" Bill asked.

"Umm, yeah, partially," Harry replied evasively. "I had to pick the paperwork that the goblins had kindly drawn up for me."

Ginny, sensing that Harry was growing uncomfortable with the direction the subject had taken chose to move it along.

"Harry and I have an announcement to make," Ginny abruptly said.

"You're pregnant!" George jokingly said, earning himself a glare from nearly everyone at the table. "Geez, I was only joking!"

"Zen, zey must be engaged!" Fleur exclaimed looking at Ginny's hands to see if she was correct in her assumption.

"No and no," Ginny simply responded. "Maybe in the future that will happen, but not now at least."

"We brought a house!" Harry said quickly.

An awkward silence settled over the family as the Weasley children and their partners turned to look at their parents. It seemed they were waiting for their reaction before saying anything and that just made Harry feel even more anxious.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised," Molly finally answered. "I had a feeling you two would be moving in together once Ginny finished Hogwarts."

"What your mother is trying to say," Arthur continued as Molly began to tear up. "Is on behalf of both of us, congratulations."

Both Harry and Ginny let out a sigh of relief as they received congratulations from the rest of the family.

 **HP &GW**

"GEORGE!"

The shout reverberated throughout The Burrow waking all those still asleep. Harry simply smiled and turned over, pulling Ginny closer to his body.

"Which one?" Ginny whispered sleepily.

"Probably the trick wand," Harry answered, smiling in amusement. "He managed to nick everyone's wands late last night and swap them for the trick wands."

Harry felt Ginny's muffled laughter against his chest and couldn't help but chuckle himself. Ginny sat up abruptly as though she'd just realise something. She turned to look at Harry with a serious expression on her face.

"Did he take ours?" she asked, knowing what her brother could be like. She couldn't trust that he would not attempt to pull a prank on them, despite them teaming up to pull off their plan.

"Nah," Harry said, pulling at her hand to get her to lie back down. "I'm not that stupid. I know what George is like. I hid ours."

Ginny relaxed and laid back down at Harry's admission, her mind drifting to the pranks that they had set up late last night. As agreed, each of them had charmed every bedroom door, so when the occupant left their room, a prominent body part would be charmed to drastically change for an hour and it was time delayed so it would only appear an hour later, making the chances of the entire family seeing it extremely high.

However, even though Harry, Ginny and George were the ones pulling the prank; they had agreed that they should partake in it also. They all felt Fred would have wanted it that way, everyone being hit by a simple yet effective prank on Christmas morning.

"GEORGE!"

This time it was not Molly shouting, but Arthur. Harry and Ginny both looked at each other, realising what it meant, someone had been up for an hour. Not wanting to miss seeing George being berated for a prank on his own mother, the couple scrambled out of bed, threw on their dressing gowns before they charged down the stairs.

They skidded to a halt as they entered the kitchen as they saw George hand back both his mum and dad's wands with a sheepish expression. But it wasn't that made them stop, but the changes to Molly. She now had black hair and green eyes and if anyone who didn't know her or Lily, had seen her, it would have been easy for them to mistaken her as being Harry's mum.

George obviously spotted their shocked faces, "Well we have always said Harry was mum's favourite son!"

Over the next hour or two, it became apparent that George, who had set that particular part of the charm, had decided that all red-headed Weasleys had to look like Harry in terms of their hair and eyes. Everyone else had been charmed to look like a red-headed Weasley with brown eyes. The result had been exactly what they had been planning for, a lot of laughter on what had the potential to be an extremely tough day. Not that it helped them avoid being interrogated about the prank after many photos had been taken.

"Did you really need to play pranks on everyone on Christmas Day?" Mum asked in exasperation.

"Yes," George simply said, as though no explanation was needed.

"Why though?" Molly asked, her temper beginning to build. "Why of all days, did you choose today?"

George looked over at the young couple as he seeked permission to bring their names in to it. Harry discretely nodded in response.

"It was Harry's idea," George admitted. "He was the one to come to me with the idea."

Every set of eyes turned to Harry in shock.

"Little Harry Potter is just full of surprises!" Charlie said, shaking his head in amusement.

"Who knew that Potter had a mischievous side?! " Bill teased.

"I did!" Ginny proudly announced as Harry blushed at the teasing.

"I just thought that perhaps a few pranks today would be a good thing," Harry nervously admitted. "I knew today would be hard because it is the first Christmas without….." Harry swallowed the huge lump that he felt forming in his throat. "Without Fred. I just figured it would be better to be laughing, rather than for everyone to be sad. I think Fred would too."

The room was silent as the family took in Harry's reasons for playing the pranks. Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry, proud of him for not brooding as he had the potential to do, but instead doing everything he could to make the family smile. Most especially George, he had made George smile more than anyone. He had also managed to get George to do what he did best: pranking.

"Oh you sweet, sweet boy!" Molly cried as she pulled Harry out of Ginny's arms and into hers. "The things you do for this family!"

"See! Harry's her favourite!" George said jokingly.

 **HP &GW**

The sitting room was crowded as they settled down to open their presents. Molly and Arthur were sat comfortable in individual armchairs, overlooking the entire room. Bill and Fleur were sat closely together on the sofa and had been joined by Andromeda who had come over with Teddy for the day at Molly's and Harry's insistence. Percy and Audrey were sat on the two-seater sofa, with George and Angelina sat on the floor just in front of them. Ron and Hermione were sat by the tree, so Ron could hand out the presents to everyone. Next to them, Harry and Ginny sat close together as they played with Teddy, who was sporting jet black hair just like his godfather.

Molly couldn't help but watch the young couple as they played with the baby. The sight of them together, acting like a little family made her heart melt. While she knew they would not be giving her grandchildren any time soon, she couldn't wait for the day they did, because she knew that Harry and Ginny would be amazing parents. Molly saw where Arthur's gaze had also fallen and knew he was thinking the same as she was.

"Here you go, little buddy," Ron said as he held out a present for Teddy. "This is from Uncle Harry and Aunty Ginny."

Harry took the present from Ron and placed it in front of Teddy and together, with a little help from Ginny, they opened it. Everyone was watching as Harry pulled from a box a stuffed dog, stag and wolf. Something that caused sad smiles for those who knew the story of the Marauders and their connection to Harry and Teddy.

"This," Harry said to Teddy as he held up the stag. "Is Prongs. This was your Uncle James' animagus form. Your Uncle James' is my dad."

Everyone in the room had fallen silent as Harry told Teddy about the men who were the most important to him.

"This here," Harry continued as he now showed Teddy the black dog, "is Padfoot. This was your Uncle Sirius', who was my godfather, form when he changed into an animal."

Ginny smiled sadly at her two favourite boys as they looked at the stuffed animals. Harry had wanted to buy Teddy them to give him a connection to the three men who should had been in his life. She knew that Harry had recognised just how lucky he was to get to spend even just a little time with each of them, whereas Teddy had only got a few weeks that he would never remember with his father.

"And finally," Harry spoke again, holding the wolf which Teddy immediately reached out for. "This wolf represents your dad. He was my honorary uncle that we knew as Mooney. That was because he was a werewolf, but he was the kindest and most caring person I knew."

At this point, Harry looked up as he realised that the room was silent and everyone was watching him. He ducked his head, keeping his face close to Teddy's soft hair as to hide the blush that was now creeping up his face.

"Thank you," a voice came from in front of him. He looked up to see Andromeda knelt before him. "He may not understand or remember what you have just told him today, but it means to the world to me that you have given him some sort of connection to his father and his friends."

"I just want him to have what I didn't have until Hagrid gave me that photo album," Harry quietly confessed.

Ginny wrapped her arms around both Harry and Teddy, before Andromeda wrapped all three of them in her own embrace as the other occupants of the room began to quietly converse amongst themselves.

As they pulled apart, Andromeda took Teddy from Harry allowing the young couple to exchange presents with each other. Ginny got up from her spot on the floor and with some help from Ron pulled a large rectangular present out from behind the tree and brought it over to Harry.

"I thought our house could do with something special," Ginny said as she handed over the present. "I had it specially commissioned for you by a mutual friend of ours. I hope you like it."

Ron kept the present steady as Harry carefully peeled away the wrapping paper to reveal a beautifully painted picture within a simple frame. He couldn't help but let a tear trickle down his cheek when he saw what the painting represented.

Ginny melted at the look of love in his eyes when he turned to look at her.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Ginny knew he didn't need to say anything more than that. It seemed that both she and he had the same idea in regards to honouring the Marauders as part of certain presents. She, herself, had approached her ex-boyfriend, Dean Thomas to see if he would produce the painting for a small fee. He had refused payment, stating he was happy to do it for free.

What he had produced had come out so much better than expected. In the still muggle painting, the Marauders were represented by their animals. Dean had painted the Forbidden Forest on the night of a full moon. In amongst the trees, a stag and doe could be seen nestled together, with a werewolf and a black dog playing nearby and in the sky flying high, a white owl.

"It's beautiful," Harry whispered as he leant over to kiss her in thanks. "Open your presents, sweetie."

As Harry showed the family the painting Ginny had given him, Ginny began to open her presents from her boyfriend. She hoped he had not spent too much money on her, but even so, she knew she would love whatever it was because she knew he would have put a lot of thought and love into the gift.

She opened the first gift with a gasp. Inside the velvet jewellery box was a simple charm bracelet. She carefully removed it so she could look at each of the individual charms of which there were eight. She immediately noticed four words alternating with four symbols. The words together read "Always have, always will", words that had come to mean so much to them as a couple. The other four charms she noticed had special meaning for her. A lightning bolt to represent Harry, a lion to represent Gryffindor, a heart to represent their love for one another and a broomstick to represent their shared love of flying.

Harry had retaken his seat next to her as she studied the charms. She turned to him and smiled as she held out the bracelet and her wrist in an invitation to put it on her. He obliged.

"I love it, Harry. Thank you," Ginny said as she admired it sat on her wrist. "But you didn't need to get me a second gift."

"I have my reasons for the second one," Harry said cryptically as he passed her the gift in question.

Ginny took her present from him, intrigued to see what he had got her. She knew it could not be an engagement ring as they had both agreed to wait in regards to that step in their relationship. And it wasn't because they were not ready, they were. It was more that they were not in a rush.

Opening yet another velvet jewellery box, she was in shock at what she found inside, a key to a Gringotts' Vault.

"Is this…..is this a key to your vault?" Ginny quietly questioned Harry.

"Yes," Harry answered quietly. "I was planning on adding you to my account come June anyway. I just thought I would do it earlier to make it easier for you to buy stuff for the house."

Ginny looked at the key. It was such a huge gesture, but she also knew it was a sign of trust between them. She recognised this as being a big step for them as a couple, but at the same time, she knew it made sense since her name was also on the deeds for the house alongside Harry's.

"Thank you," she whispered as she looked back up at Harry. "It means a lot to me that you are so willing to share this with me."

Harry pulled her into his arms and held her close. "I want to share everything with you, Gin. Please don't ever doubt that."

"I won't, I promise," she replied as she leaned into kiss him.


	14. Teddy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

A couple of days before the end of the Christmas holidays, the entire family converged on Godric's Hollow to see Harry and Ginny's new house. The young couple smiled as they watched everyone explore the house and grounds while repeatedly telling them just how much they loved it.

It came as no surprise to anyone when the Weasley men dragged Harry to where he planned to build a mini Quidditch pitch, so they could help make plans for it. Ginny, however, decided to show the women around the house, explaining what plans had been made for each room, noting to them that the refurbishment was due to begin in the first week of January.

"Just think," Harry said as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend in preparation to apparate back to The Burrow. "The next time you are here, the bulk of the refurbishment should have been completed."

* * *

As the New Year began, the young couple found themselves busier than ever, though both still made the time to communicate with each other on a regular basis.

Ginny had thrown herself back into school with a sheer determination to get through the final few months that separated her from Harry and the start of their new life together. She was busy training the Gryffindor Quidditch team for their next match against Hufflepuff, while juggling her role as Head Girl with her increased workload, which served to remind her that the N.E. were drawing ever closer.

Harry was continuing his Auror training, which he was moving through at a rapid pace and had now begun working on small cases. His weekends were taken up with spending time with Teddy, while helping Andromeda plan for his upcoming Christening and Birthday. He also took the time to go over to the house to view the work being done by the magical construction company they had hired. Even with magic, the work still took time, but it was coming along nicely and on time.

Valentine's Day landed on the Sunday that year, so the students were able to go into Hogsmeade, something that Ginny and Harry chose to take advantage of. Harry brought little Teddy Lupin along with him to see to his Godmother. Ginny was ecstatic to spend the day with her two favourite boys and was even more shocked and happy when Harry also brought Teddy along to see her quidditch match against Hufflepuff.

The end of March saw Ginny head to Holyhead in Wales for her trial for a spot on the Harpies. The weekend was long, hard and tiring, but absolutely exhilarating for the young redhead, especially after being offered a spot as a reserve chaser.

* * *

As Ginny stepped out of the floo in The Burrow, she was not surprised when she was immediately swept into a hug by Harry. She barely had time to hug him back when she was tugged away and pulled into the arms of her mother, before she was passed around and hugged by everyone who was present, including Hermione, who had followed her through the floo from Hogwarts.

"Not that I'm complaining," Ginny said as the hugs finally seized and she moved back into Harry's arms. "But this was unexpected, especially considering that I am only here for the weekend."

She looked around to see that her entire family had expectant faces as though they were waiting for her to announce something. They had known she was coming home for the weekend as it was Teddy's Christening and Birthday party. Then it clicked.

"You told them!" she cried, having spun round and out of Harry's arms, whipping out her wand and aiming it at her boyfriend. "You told them my news!"

"I swear I didn't!" Harry said with his hands held up in surrender. "I swear I have not said a word to them."

Ginny saw in his eyes the honesty that came with his words and realised he was telling the truth. She mentally berated herself for even thinking that he would reveal her news before she could. He had been the only one she had told, having wanted to tell the family in person.

"You didn't tell them, did you?" Ginny said in defeat as she dropped her wand to her side.

Harry shook his head.

"Tell us what dear?" Molly asked with an amused look on her face.

Ginny looked around again and still the expectant faces were there. She realised that they just wanted to know how she had done at the trials and they were obviously confident that she had won a spot.

"My trial went well," she told them. "And….."She paused for a dramatic effect, which she could tell was annoying them all, apart from Harry who had a beaming smile on his face.

"I WON A SPOT!" she screamed in excitement. "I'M ON THE HOLYHEAD HARPIES!"

The room broke out into cheers and shouts of congratulations as the family as a whole swept Ginny into a huge group hug.

Eventually, the family made their way into the kitchen and seated themselves at the table, while Arthur summoned the Firewhiskey and poured a glass for everyone.

"A toast to Ginny," Arthur announced as he raised his glass towards his only daughter, who was sat on her boyfriend's lap and looked radiantly happy. "Just looking at you now, I can see how happy you are. Your dreams are coming true and I could not be more proud of you!"

Everyone joined Arthur in raising their glasses to Ginny as Harry gave her a tender kiss on the cheek, his eyes beaming in pride for his girlfriend.

"To Ginny, Holyhead Harpies' newest chaser!"

"Ginny!" everyone bellowed before knocking back their firewhiskeys.

"When do you start with the team?" Ron asked, excited that his sister would be playing professional quidditch, even if it was not for the Chudley Cannons.

"September," Ginny answered. "I'll just be training with them and playing for the reserves. But Gwenog says I will probably play for the first team next season, so she wants me trained up and ready for January."

"Will we get free tickets to your first game?" Ron cheekily asked, earning him a nudge in the ribs from Hermione. However, it seemed the entire family were also hoping that this would be the case.

"Yes, you will, but I don't think there will be enough for everyone," Ginny told them. "That part of my contract is still being dealt with. They said we can put that together when I start."

"The management team were keen to stress though that Ginny made it onto the team all thanks to her own talent," Harry continued. "But because we are well known thanks to our parts in the war, they have said that they would make sure the press is kept away from us when we attend games and security will be increased if needs be."

"Hang on a moment," Hermione interrupted. "Just how would you know that? Were you there at the trials?"

"No," Harry said bluntly. "Ginny told me, but the team also wrote to me. They wanted to assure me that while they were aware of our relationship, they would not use me or my relationship with Ginny for publicity or anything else of the sort."

"Oh, erm, sorry," Hermione said, feeling thoroughly chastised.

"Anyway," Ginny said, forcing the conversation forward. "They took my relationship into account when informing me of what I needed to know. While I would have usually stayed and lived in Holyhead to begin with, they have agreed to allow me to continue with our plan to move in together. A room will be available for me if needs be. My schedule for training is five days a week from 10am till 4pm."

"What about weekends?" Molly asked anxiously. "Will you be able to attend Sunday dinners?"

Ginny smiled, laughing internally at her mother's worries.

"As long as I don't have a match, my weekends are free," Ginny replied, causing her mother to relax and smile. "Anyway, enough about me, I think Hermione should tell everyone her news!"

Hermione looked like a deer caught in headlights at Ginny's change of topic. "Oh, umm, I was offered a job in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and I accepted."

The entire room erupted in cheers at the news. It was definitely a weekend for celebrations.

* * *

The next morning, Harry apparated himself, Teddy and Ginny to Godric's Hollow to view the progress on their house. The building work and decorating was complete and the grounds were clear and tidy. The only things left to do was to buy furniture and other necessities for the house and to begin planting any trees and flowers they wanted as well as build the quidditch pitch. Before that though, the wards needed to be erected and that was happening the following week. Today, though, was about showing Teddy the house and making decisions on what each room needed.

The red bricked three storey house looked even better than their previous visits, thanks to the replacements windows Harry had asked to be installed. He had ordered and paid for double glazing for all windows and doors throughout the house. He had specifically chosen the style for the child proof locks and for the capability to keep the cold out and the warmth in. Yes, he knew there were a variety of spells that could help him achieve all that, but when it came to the safety of his precious godchild, he was not taking any chances.

The ground floor had been opened up, providing more space and the ability to move between with more ease. To the left as you walked into the small entrance hall was the sitting room. Originally, it had been two rooms, but the wall had been knocked through to create the much wanted and needed space. To the right was the kitchen, dining area, pantry and laundry area. Knocking the wall down between the kitchen and dining room had allowed for more space for a bigger dining table. Ginny was already looking forward to hosting a family dinner.

The first floor consisted of a spacious bathroom, three bedrooms and a playroom. The second floor consisted of the master bedroom, a walk in closet, a bathroom, a study and a small outdoor garden. It was more space than they needed right now, but the perfect size for when they chose to have children.

After making the list of required items and furniture for the house and having shown Teddy what would become his bedroom, the two teens and toddler settled down in the garden for a picnic. Harry couldn't help but grin as he watched his precious godson crawl around the grass. Teddy being here with him and his beautiful girlfriend made, for him, them feel like a real family and that gave him a sense of hope and happiness.

"What are you smiling about?" Ginny asked, having noticed the big grin on her boyfriend's face.

"About how right this all feels," Harry answered as he continued to watch Teddy explore, while reaching out to entwine his fingers with Ginny's. "You, me, Teddy and the house. A year ago, I would not have thought that this would be possible, that it could even happen. Now here we are, sat in our garden, just like a little family."

"Oh Harry, we are a family," Ginny softly said as she gave his hand a squeeze. She couldn't help but be proud of the man Harry had become, especially considering how much he was getting better at expressing himself. "You, me and Teddy are a family. I may not have the Potter name yet and Teddy may not be ours, but we are most certainly a family in our own little way."

"I can't wait for you to have the Potter name," Harry whispered as he leaned over to steal a kiss. However, before either one of them could intensify the kiss, a squeal caused them to pull apart. The two teens turned to see Teddy sat directly in front of them, a huge smile on his face, clapping his hands as he watched his godparents.

"Dada, Mama," the little boy squealed as he changed his hair to black and his eyes to chocolate brown.

Harry laughed as he scooped up his godson. "No, it's Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny, little man!"

"Dada! Mama!" Teddy squealed again.

Harry shook his head in resignation. "Fine, have it your way, you cheeky monkey."

Ginny came over and wrapped her arms around her two favourite boys, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. "Well it seems Teddy has decided we are a family, Harry. So who are we to disagree with such an adorable boy?"

* * *

Harry and Ginny stood outside the church in Godric's Hollow, posing for photos with their newly christened godson. Despite the aching gap that was visible from the absence of Remus and Tonks, it had been a happy occasion for all those involved and all those in attendance.

Andromeda had been more than accommodating in allowing Harry to arrange for Teddy's christening to be held at the same church at which he had been christened. She, like Harry and Ginny, wanted Teddy to have as many special memories as possible, while still retaining some connection to his parents, therefore she had been unable to refuse Harry's request.

It had been a small and simple ceremony with only Andromeda, Harry, Ginny, the Weasleys and Kingsley in attendance. While the vicar knew of the wizarding community, Andi and Harry felt it was too much of a risk to invite any muggle relatives as Teddy did not have control of his metamorphic abilities. In the end, the metamorphmagus had only changed his features when he had seen his godparents for the first time that day; otherwise he was well behaved throughout the short ceremony.

Andromeda watched Teddy and his godparents as they interacted. Her daughter and son in law had chosen well for the godparents and she knew that they would be happy and proud of the love between their son and the two teens. She knew that if she needed to relinquish her grandson into the care of the young couple full time; they would give him everything he needed and so much more.

"Your daughter and Remus chose well for Teddy's godparents," a voice said from beside Andromeda. "But then again, maybe I am slightly biased."

Andromeda chuckled as she turned to look at the Weasley matriarch.

"Perhaps, but what does that make me?" she responded. "I happen to agree with you. It does help to know they are so good with him, especially if I ever felt he would be better in their care."

Molly looked at the grandmother with sadness. "Are you thinking about giving Teddy to them to raise?"

Andromeda smiled softly. "Only if I feel I can no longer cope having him full time, but enough of this. That day is probably many years away and we have a birthday to celebrate."

Teddy's birthday party was to be held at The Burrow. Molly had offered the house to make it easier for Andromeda to hold and organise the party. Luckily it had turned out to be a beautiful day, with it being warm enough to hold the party in the back garden.

This decision had made both Harry and Ginny very happy as was discovered as Teddy opened his presents.

"Oh you didn't?" Andromeda said in exasperation when she saw the content of Teddy's present from his godparents.

Harry cheekily grinned. "I had to continue the tradition, or at least make it a tradition!"

Teddy was clapping his hands in glee at the present. "Bwoom! Bwoom!"

"That's right, little man!" Ginny cheerily responded as she removed the baby broom out of the packaging.

"What do you mean by tradition, Harry?" Arthur asked as he laid a comforting hand on Molly's arm, who seemed set to lecture Harry about his choice of present.

"Sirius brought me my first broom," Harry explained, a distant look in his eyes. "Plus he brought me my Firebolt."

"Godfather to godson," Hermione muttered in realisation.

"I hope that the godparents of any children that Ginny and I may have in the future continue the tradition as well," Harry continued, causing many hearts to soften at his explanation.

"Too right I will," Ron said in assumption as he came and picked up Teddy and the new toy broom. "Let's go flying, little man!"

Teddy stared at Ron like he was trying to decide something. When it seemed like he had made up his mind, his tiny hands grasped Ron's face.

"Won, Won!" Teddy squealed, causing Ron to groan as he was reminded of the awful nickname his ex-girlfriend, Lavender had bestowed upon whilst they had dated.

Harry, Hermione and Ginny were in fits of laughter themselves as well, knowing how much Ron had hated the nickname.

"You, Teddy Lupin, are a little terror!" Ron declared as he passed the little boy over to his godfather.

"Dada!" he squealed in delight at being in his godfather's arms, to the shock of many of the party attendees. "Bwoom! Fwy!"

Before Harry could say anything, Andromeda spoke up, "its ok, Harry, that he calls you Dada. You are the main man in his life, so it is only natural he calls you that. When he is older, we can encourage him to call you Uncle Harry instead, if you and he both want that."

Harry shared a discreet glance with Ginny, who subtly nodded her head in agreement with Andromeda.

"Thanks Andi," Harry quietly replied. "Right, let's get you flying, Teddy."

Harry quickly carried Teddy down to the Weasleys' makeshift quidditch pitch, wanting to avoid any emotionally heavy conversation. He wanted this day to remain a happy day for Teddy, despite the heaviness on his own heart that he felt from the absence of Remus and Tonks.

Ginny watched as her boyfriend took their godson to go flying, knowing he was beginning to struggle with the looming anniversary of the final battle. She had seen the pain in his eyes when Teddy had called him Dada, especially when she knew he was coming to love him as if he really was his own son.

"I'm sorry," she said as she turned to face Andromeda. "He loves that little boy as if he was his own son, even if he doesn't realise it yet. But he is absolutely petrified of replacing Remus."

Andromeda smiled sadly at Ginny's admission. "Neither you, nor Harry could ever or will ever replace Teddy's parents, but you can still be parents to him. Your own parents could never replace Lily and James, but they have been the surrogate parents Harry has needed."

"I know. I think Harry knows that deep down too," Ginny responded quietly. She looked back towards to where her boyfriend had headed before turning back to face her family. "Let me go and check on him."

As she approached the makeshift quidditch pitch, she could hear the squeals of delight from her godson and as she came into view, she could see him slowly flying his toy broom as Harry followed behind him on foot. She smiled as she watched them from afar. As much as she could tell that Harry was trying to fight his need to be a father to Teddy, to her it seemed he was not fighting as hard as he had made himself to believe he was. Here he was, following his godson, protectively watching over him as Teddy learnt to fly, ready to jump in and help if he needed to. That little boy was as good as Harry's son, whether or not he chose to call his godfather, Dada.

"Mama!" Little Teddy squealed rousing Ginny from her thoughts. "Fwy!"

Ginny moved over to the makeshift quidditch pitch with Teddy meeting her halfway as he flew his toy broom over to her.

"I see that, baby boy!" she cooed in response.

Teddy flew off again slowly, but this time Harry did not immediately move to follow, instead choosing to wrap Ginny in his arms, burying his face in her neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to react like that."

"It's ok, Harry," Ginny soothed. "I don't want to replace Tonks, or have you replace Remus, but we are his godparents. Therefore, it is our job to help raise him and be the parents he needs."

"Just like your parents have been for me," Harry concluded.

Ginny smiled at his realisation, happy of his acceptance of their position. "Come on, let's get Teddy and go and have some birthday cake!"

With that, the two godparents scooped up their godson and made their way back to the family to enjoy the rest of the party.


	15. One Year On

**A/N: So here is the anniversary chapter. Yes, it is not a happy one, but I threw in a bit of romance towards the end. We are fast approaching the end of this story now. Based on my plan, there is another 8 chapters to go. And in answer to someone who asked, be patient, the proposal comes up in Chapter 17.**

* * *

 _There was a lull in the battle. He had one hour before he had to either face Voldemort or Voldemort would murder everyone who stood in his way to finding Harry._

 _He found himself in front of the doors to the Great Hall. However, standing there, something didn't feel right. It was too quiet. There was just silence. And why were the doors shut?_

 _He pushed the doors to the hall open and immediately wished he hadn't. All he could see were piles upon piles of dead bodies. He tried to run away, but his feet seem to take on a life of their own and he found himself walking into the makeshift mortuary._

 _He saw the bodies of those who he knew had died. Remus and Tonks were laid with their hands clasped together. Colin had his camera clutched tightly in his hands. Fred had the echo of his final smile on his face. As he looked at each of their bodies, something seemed off about what he was looking at. However, he was not given the time to figure it out as he spotted something he knew to be out of place._

 _The bodies of the Weasley family, including those of Fleur's and Hermione's, were in a separate pile nearby._

 _This wasn't right. This didn't happen; he knew that this didn't happen. This was a dream. NO, this was a nightmare. He needed to wake up and reassure himself that those he knew had lived were still alive. But his body wouldn't wake up._

 _He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he turned to see what it was. He felt his stomach lurch at the sight before him. The guilt he held began to deepen and bubble up to the surface. There had been a reason he made the decision he had. She was the one person he needed to be safe and survive this war. There was no world for him if she wasn't in it._

 _His Ginny was pulled tight against Voldemort's chest, a wand pressed to her neck. But she wasn't fighting; she seemed resigned to her fate._

 _"_ _Surrender, Potter!" said the cruel high voice that regularly haunted his nightmares, penetrating them yet again. "You have no reason to fight anymore!"_

 _"_ _NO! NEVER! I will not surrender!"_

 _"_ _Let's see if this shall change your mind then!"_

 _He watched as his mortal enemy pushed the love of his life away from him and directly pointed his wand at her. He knew what words were about to come and there was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen._

 _"_ _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

 _A jet of green light shot directly towards Ginny and he could only watch helplessly from across the hall as the spell connected with her chest. As it hit, his vision became blinded as the room filled with a bright green light._

 _Then everything went black._

Harry woke suddenly as he shot up from where he had been laying. His nightmare had left him breathing heavily, sweating profusely and his heart was racing. This had been the worst one he'd had tonight and he was now feeling exhausted from the intensity of it and the lack of sleep.

He looked over at the clock on his bedside table and saw it was only three in the morning. He knew he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep any time soon. The fear of having more nightmares was too much for him.

He just wished Ginny had been allowed to come home earlier than the morning of the anniversary.

Making a calculated decision, he pulled out his magical mirror from the drawer of his bedside table and held it in front of his face.

"Ginny Weasley," he whispered, his voice feeling hoarse from his screams that had accompanied his nightmares. He silently thanked himself for remembering to throw up a silencing charm on the bedroom.

"Harry?" a weary voice asked as his girlfriend's face swam into view.

"I'm sorry, baby. Did I wake you?" he asked concerned.

"No, I've barely slept tonight. Are you ok?"

Harry smiled sadly as he saw the worry and compassion in Ginny's eyes.

"No," he simply replied.

"Nightmares?"

Harry could only nod in response as the tears began to stream down his face.

"Do you want me to come home?" his girlfriend asked compassionately.

This was not the first time they had communicated with each other via the mirrors in the middle of the night. Both were prone to nightmares, but they had eased considerably over the past few months. However, in the week leading up to the first anniversary of the final battle, they had intensified for Harry. He didn't want to come across as needy and desperate, but in comparison to the previous nights, he honestly didn't think he could go back to sleep without her by his side.

"I need you, Ginny," he said in a voice that made him sound years younger than he was.

Ginny's heart broke for him at his desperate plea. She had expected that the anniversary would be hard on him. In all honesty, she knew it would always be hard on him, considering his part in the final battle. She had already packed the handful of items she would need for the next couple of days, so she was ready to leave. She just hoped that Professor McGonagall would be sympathetic to her idea.

"Baby, go downstairs and make yourself a Hot Chocolate," she told him as she manoeuvred herself out of bed. "I'm on my way."

"Thank you, baby. I love you."

"I love you too, Harry."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ginny was stood in the Headmistress' office, after having quickly dressed and thrown a couple of last minute items in her bag.

"What can I do for you, Miss Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asked as she came into the office, concerned as to why she had been roused from her bed in the middle of the night.

"It's Harry, Professor. I need to go home now, rather than first thing in the morning," Ginny quickly explained. "I know I am asking for something that is not usually allowed, but I need to be there for him now."

The Headmistress softened her face at the mention of one of her favourite former students.

"Of course, Miss Weasley," she agreed immediately, allowing Ginny to let out a breath she had not realised she had been holding. "The Head Boy can take over your duties in the morning."

"Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome, Miss Weasley. Please send my regards to Harry," the Headmistress responded as she lit the required fire needed for floo travel. "I'll see you both tomorrow for the memorial."

Ginny took a handful of floo powder, but before she threw it she turned back to Professor McGonagall.

"I really appreciate that you're allowing me to go now. Thank you again."

Before the professor could respond, the youngest Weasley had left via the floo for The Burrow.

* * *

Having followed his girlfriend's request, Harry was now sat with a prime view of the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate. He felt awful, exhausted and weak, but the idea of returning to bed before Ginny arrived was inconceivable to him.

The floo flared to life all of sudden and the person he had waited for stepped out. The moment their eyes met, Harry felt like he would finally be able to relax. As Ginny moved across to him, he placed his mug down and pulled her onto his lap, burying his face into her neck.

"Thank you for coming home," he whispered.

"I'll do anything for you, Harry," she whispered back as she ran a hand soothingly through his hair. "Professor McGonagall understood without the need to ask why you needed me home."

Harry lifted his face in surprise. "She did?"

"She cares about you, Harry. Had it been anyone else, I highly doubt she would have let them leave."

"Well, she may have let Hermione leave, if it was Ron."

"Oh, no!" Ginny gasped. "I forgot to leave her note about me coming home early."

Harry chuckled. He wasn't entirely sure why he was laughing at his girlfriend's mistake, but it felt good to do so. Ginny, on the other hand, couldn't understand what she had said that was so funny to him.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologised as he fought for control over his laughter. "I've no idea why I am laughing. It was just funny for some reason."

Harry's laugh, to Ginny, was infectious and just as a giggle escaped her own lips, an image of Hermione freaking out over her not being in the dorm sprung to mind, making her laugh even harder.

"Thank you," Harry said once they managed to calm themselves. "I really needed that."

"I'm glad I could cheer you up," Ginny responded as she stood and held out her hand to her boyfriend. "Let's go to bed and get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

As they curled up in bed, Harry thought about how lucky he was to have such an amazing, compassionate and beautiful girlfriend. He knew he would never have got through the past year without her and it was because of her that he knew he would survive tomorrow. He was certain, despite what he had told her, that he would be proposing to her sooner rather than later.

"I love you, Ginny Weasley," he whispered as he felt sleep beginning to claim him once again.

"I love you too, Harry Potter."

* * *

"Hey, Fred."

It was mid-morning of May 2nd, one year to the day since the Battle of Hogwarts. The extended Weasley family had made the trip together to visit the grave of the one family member they had lost on that day. Each member of the family had taken their turn to speak privately to his grave and now it was Harry's turn, having waited till the end. Ginny and George were nearby, waiting for him so they could return to The Burrow.

"It's been a year since we lost you," Harry said as a tear slipped down his cheek. "I'm certain you are having a great time wherever it is you are. Chances are you have met up with Sirius and Remus and hopefully you have met my dad and are having the time of your life playing pranks with the Marauders."

He paused as he looked over to where Ginny and George stood talking.

"If it had been anyone else, I don't think we would have made it through the grief," Harry continued. "But then again, I had your sister to support me. She misses you so much. I just don't think it has hit her just how much she does. It probably won't until we get married and she realises you will not be able to be there on our wedding day."

Harry used his sleeve to wipe away the tears that were building up in his eyes.

"Thank you for coming that night and fighting alongside me. I'm sorry you had to die for us to secure our freedom."

Harry got up and stared at the headstone for a second, before walking away and back over to Ginny and George.

* * *

Harry and Ginny watched from a short distance as Andromeda and Teddy visited the graves of Remus and Tonks.

"How are you doing?" Ginny quietly asked.

Harry wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "I'm doing ok at the moment. Not so sure I'll be ok at the end of today though."

"I'll tell you what we'll do," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Once we get back from the memorial, no matter how early it is, we'll go and spend the rest of the day curled up in bed together. Just you and me, no distractions."

"That sounds good to me, baby," Harry before pressing a kiss to her temple.

It was then that they noticed Andromeda was heading towards them as she carried an excitable Teddy who had just spotted his godparents.

"Dada!" the little boy cried as he held his arms out to his godfather, who in turn promptly took him.

Harry held Teddy close as a tear slipped from his eye as he heard the name his godson had used for him.

"Can I have a moment alone?" Harry asked as he handed Teddy over to Ginny.

"Take you all the time you need, Harry," Andromeda responded. "We're not due at Hogwarts for another couple of hours."

The black haired wizard could only nod in acknowledgment before he walked over to his friends' graves. He knelt down in front of them and took in their names on the headstones for a moment before speaking.

"Remus. Tonks," he said solemnly. "I…..I don't even know what to say. Of all the deaths in the final battle, yours hit me the hardest. It isn't fair that Teddy has to grow up without you."

Harry turned and looked at the little boy in question. He was currently being held by his godmother, giggling as she tickled him.

"I'm so honoured that you chose me to be his godfather," Harry carried on. "I love him so much, but I can't help but feel at times that I'm replacing you. I know I'm not though. It's just… it hurts to hear him call me Dada when it should be you, Remus, who is being called that."

Harry reached out and touched the headstone with his former professor's name on.

"I promise to take good care of Teddy," Harry whispered. "I'll make sure you'll be proud of him and that he'll be proud of you. To be honest, I am already proud of him myself. He brings happiness to wherever he is. I really do wish you two could be here with him."

Harry stood up and whispered a goodbye. Steeling himself for what was to come, he made his way back to the little family he had formed.

* * *

The Great Hall of Hogwarts was more sombre than it had been in recent months as people gathered to attend the memorial of the final battle. Black banners hung in place of the normal house banners reflecting the mood of many, including that of Harry's. Unknown to most in attendance, plans were in place to present the Order of Merlin to those who had played a significant part within the war, including those who had given their lives in the process. It had been agreed that this part of the ceremony had to be kept quiet if they were to succeed in giving Harry an award they knew he felt he did not deserve, even if everyone else felt that he did.

Silence fell as the Minister for Magic took to the stage.

"Good Afternoon, my fellow wizards and witches," said the low voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt, through the use of an Amplifying Charm. "Before we begin this ceremony, I would like us to have a minute's silence for those who fell during both Wizarding Wars."

Harry immediately bowed his head in respect, closed his eyes and kept a tight hold of Ginny's hand. Then he began to think of all those he had lost as a result of Voldemort and his need for power.

He thought of his parents, who'd given their lives so that he could live.

He thought of Cedric Diggory, the first of many unnecessary deaths with the return of Lord Voldemort.

He thought of his godfather, who had been robbed of his life by false claims, but had taken so many risks to be there for his godson.

He thought of his former Headmaster, who had arranged his own death after having done as much as he could to make sure Harry was prepared for what was to come.

He thought of Hedwig, his faithful owl and friend.

He thought of Mad Eye Moody, giving his life the only way he knew how, in combat.

He thought of Dobby, the over excitable free house elf, who had given his life to save Harry and his friends.

He thought of Fred Weasley, ripped away in his prime with the ghost of his last smile on his face.

He thought of Remus and Tonks, who'd become new parents barely weeks before they died.

He thought of Colin Creevey, who had answered the call to fight, despite having been in hiding because of his blood status.

Too many lives taken, all so he could fulfil his destiny. The guilt that had lingered just below the surface for the past few months began to overflow and consume him once again.

"It's not your fault, Harry," a warm voice from beside him said, bringing him back to his surroundings.

As Harry became aware of his surroundings yet again, he realised that Kingsley had begun addressing the crowd and that tears had begun to fall down his own face. He turned to look at Ginny, whose compassionate brown eyes met his guilt filled and heartbroken green ones head on. He was grateful for her presence beside him and even more so when she reached up to gently wipe away his tears.

Ginny was the only reason he had not fled Hogwarts yet. He had a deep seeded desperation to run, but he had promised himself that no matter how tough it would be for him to be at the memorial, he would be there for his girlfriend as she dealt with her own grief. Plus, Kingsley had made it clear that his presence was expected and that it was mandatory whether he liked it or not.

Harry could only concentrate on his girlfriend as the memorial wore on. All words that were spoken, he ignored. The more he concentrated on Ginny, the more the names of the fallen were drowned out and the less there was of the guilt eating him up inside.

"Now to what I hope will be a happier part of our memorial."

Kingsley's words made Harry come out of his daze.

"Today, I wish to award on behalf of the Wizengamot, a number of Order of Merlin's to those heroes who fought against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters throughout the Second Wizarding War."

Harry straightened up as the crowd applauded at the Minister's words. He knew it meant he would be forced to accept one, but he was intrigued to see who else had been awarded the Order of Merlin. He knew Kingsley would have fought for those who would have been denied otherwise.

"We begin with presenting the Order of Merlin to those who gave their lives to ensure our freedom," Kingsley announced. "Many of those who did so were still in the prime of their life and they willingly risked their lives to do what was right, rather than what was easy. For this, we commend them and they will always have our gratitude."

Harry joined in the applause as designated family members collected the medals on the behalf of their deceased. He even managed to crack a smile as George and Dennis went up on behalf of their brothers. However, he never expected to be collecting an award on behalf of anyone himself.

"To collect on behalf of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin," Kingsley said. "I would like to invite Harry Potter and his godson, Teddy Lupin to the stage."

Harry froze for a second, before he was nudged by Ginny to get up. He did so, quickly taking his godson from his Grandmother, who in turn nodded her acceptance of him being the one to collect the award. Teddy, excited to be in his godfather's arms, changed his hair to match, much to the amusement of those in attendance.

"They would be so proud of you and Teddy right now," Kingsley whispered in Harry's ear as he gave them the boxed medals. Harry could only respond with a sad smile as he pulled his godson closer to him for comfort.

"Before Harry leaves the stage," Kingsley addressed the crowd. "I wish to present another Order of Merlin that I wish for him to collect on behalf of its recipient."

Harry racked his brain as to whom the Minister was referring, but he came up blank.

"Harry's godfather, Sirius Black," Kingsley continued to the astonishment of Harry and many of those in the hall, "spent twelve years in Azkaban for crimes he did not commit, to only then breakout in order to protect the godson he loved deeply. Three years later, he gave his life in a duel against Bellatrix Lestrange when he rushed to protect his godson in a fight with Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries. I am happy to not only award the Order of Merlin to Sirius Black, but also to announce that he has been fully pardoned of the crimes he was falsely accused of."

Harry sagged in relief at the announcement, knowing his godfather would be remembered now for the right reasons rather than for being a mass murderer.

"Thank you," Harry whispered when Kingsley handed him yet another boxed medal, before he turned and left the stage.

Harry retook his seat next to Ginny, who took the three boxed medals from him so he could hold onto Teddy closely as silent tears fell down his face. As he tried to calm the emotions he was feeling, he blocked the words Kingsley was now saying. That was until he heard a gasp of astonishment from the crowd, causing him to look up and refocus.

"This was a decision that was fought over by Wizengamot," Harry heard the Minister say. "But overwhelming evidence has shown that Professor Severus Snape fought for the Light as a double agent, risking his life every time he met with the Dark Lord. It was thanks to him that a crucial piece of information was passed to Harry Potter during the final battle that allowed for our guaranteed victory."

Harry smiled, despite the whispers of shock that were scattered throughout the Great Hall.

"It is for this reason," Kingsley continued. "That I am happy to award him the Order of Merlin First Class which is to be collected by our current Headmistress. It is also my honour to announce, keeping with tradition, that his portrait will be added to the Head's Office."

Those who knew the former Potion Master's story clapped wildly as Professor McGonagall collected the medal. Once the applause died down, Kingsley continued once more.

"We have so many survivors who are deserving of awards here today, but due to the sheer number, we have chosen to honour just seven of them at this memorial."

Harry was certain that he was one of them and as much as he didn't want it or even thought that he deserved it, he knew he would reluctantly accept it. He knew now that this was the reason that his appearance had been made mandatory by Kingsley. However, he did cheer and applaud as he watched Molly, Luna, Neville, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all accept what he thought was their well-deserved Order Of Merlin's. He was proud of each and every one of them.

"Finally," Kingsley said as an unnatural silence fell over the hall in anticipation for the final recipient. "It gives me the greatest pleasure to award this final person. He will say he is not a hero and that he does deserve any recognition, but this is what makes him the most humble person I know. From the moment he stepped back into the Wizarding World, he found himself thrusted into the spotlight and regularly battling against the most evil of magic. He will say that he only did what he needed to do, for which we are all thankful for. But he took it one step further and willingly walked to what he thought would be his death, sacrificing himself for the greater good. Therefore, it is my greatest honour to award my friend, Harry James Potter with the Order of Merlin First Class."

Harry passed Teddy over to Ginny and reluctantly made his way back on stage.

"I know you'd rather or not," Kingsley whispered, "but could you please address the crowd?"

Harry sighed and nodded before casting the amplifying charm on himself.

"Erm… Thank you for this award," Harry said, reluctantly addressing the crowd. "I quite honestly believe that I don't deserve this as I do not, as the Minister pointed out, consider myself a hero. I just did what I had to do and I did so with the help of many people."

Harry's eyes flickered to Ginny for a moment, drawing strength from her presence.

"If I am to accept this award, then I feel it is only appropriate that I thank five of the many people who helped me accomplish what it is I am receiving this for."

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves and blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall once again.

"Firstly, I would like to thank my parents, James and Lily Potter. I didn't fully understand their actions until a year ago, but they sacrificed their own lives out of their love for me so that I could live."

Harry then looked to his two best friends.

"Secondly, I would like to thank Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, my two best friends. We may have had our disagreements at times, but you have supported me and been loyal to me since we were eleven. You have risked your lives numerous times just so I could finish my mission."

Harry moved his gaze to Ginny, who still had Teddy in her lap. She gave him that blazing look he loved so much and he felt himself relax as a result.

"Finally, I was always told that the most powerful magic in the world was love and that it would be the power I used to defeat Voldemort. Well, Professor Dumbledore was correct in telling me that. So I want to thank the most important person in my life, Ginny Weasley. You helped me understand what love actually meant and had it not been for your love, trust and support, I would not have cared if I had lived or died doing what I needed to do. You came into my life and lit it up in a way no one else had ever been able to before and in doing that you gave me every reason to end the war and to make sure I survived to enjoy the freedom that we won."

Harry knew that he had put himself out there, but in that moment, he didn't care as long as it meant Ginny knew just how much her love meant to him.

"Thank you," he finished, before removing the charm on himself and quickly moving off the stage and straight into his girlfriend's arms, ignoring the wild applause around him.

* * *

"I'm proud of how you handled yourself today," Ginny softly said as she slowly and lovingly ran a hand through Harry's messy hair.

Immediately after the memorial had ended, the couple had quickly said their goodbyes and returned to The Burrow. They were currently sitting in their darken bedroom, which only had a small candle burning for a source of light.

Harry looked up from where he had his head laid in Ginny's lap, enjoying the soothing movements she made through his hair. He gave her a shy smile. "Thanks, I think."

"I know you didn't want to be there," Ginny explained. "I didn't either if I am to be honest. But you did well by accepting those Order of Merlins and your openness in your speech amazed everyone."

"I was just being honest," Harry weakly protested.

"I know that," Ginny soothed. "What you said about me though, I think that surprised everyone. No one has really heard you talk that way about me before."

Harry sat up and pulled the red read into his arms, touching his forehead to hers and looking deep into her eyes.

"Love is what helped us win," Harry softly said. "Love is what saved me, your love to be precise. People needed to know and understand that."

Ginny couldn't respond in words. To her, there were no words that could be said. Instead, she leaned further forward and kissed him with every ounce of love she had for him.


	16. Coming Home

**A/N: Second chapter in a month, which is quite good for me! Apologies now, this is not my best chapter and it probably sucks after the last one. I have no idea where half of this even came from, but it is what you are getting. For those waiting for it, the engagement is coming in the next chapter and then we will be moving through quite quickly as we are fast approaching the end of this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Making sure the final of her possessions were packed, Ginny closed and locked her trunk. She couldn't help but sigh in relief and contentment at the thought of finally being done with school. It was definitely not the experience she had been expecting, but she knew that she wouldn't change it for the world, because she knew she wouldn't be who she was today otherwise.

Had someone told her seven years ago that on leaving Hogwarts that she would be leaving having been awarded the Order of Merlin, would be joining the Holyhead Harpies as a reserve chaser and was the girlfriend of Harry Potter with whom she was about to move in with, she would have thought that person to be barmy. But here she was, about to leave the castle for the final time as a student and it was all true.

Ginny moved over to the window and looked out over the grounds. The peacefulness she saw caused memories to wash over her of the good times she'd had here at school, especially those of her relationship with Harry and the many hours they spent together down by the lake. She smiled as she thought about how their lives were truly going to begin when she stepped off the train in just a few hours' time.

Leaving Harry the morning following the memorial had been hard, but as he had reminded her, once she was done with school, they would finally be moving into their new home. And it had been that comment that had kept her going during her long and relentless revision sessions and eventually her exams. That and all the encouraging letters that Harry had sent.

She was so excited to be finally heading home to be with Harry, but she was also nervous. She knew that tonight may well be the night they finally made love for the first time. She was not worried about the act itself; she had no reason to be. She and Harry had pretty much done everything else physically. They had become familiar with each other's bodies, where each other's sensitive spots were and they knew each other's likes and dislikes. No, the problem was that she didn't want to be presumptuous in hoping tonight would be the night. They had not even discussed it. In all honesty, it was a subject they had seemed to avoid, but she understood why. Their physical relationship had progressed at a pace at which they were both comfortable with. She just hoped that Harry was in the same place that she was and ready for that final step.

To be honest, if she thought about it, there was a very good chance that tonight would be the night. They hadn't seen each other in nearly two months and it had been even longer since they had been physically intimate. Something would be happening, no matter what. But whether they took the final step was what remained to be seen.

"Ginny?"

The voice calling her name startled Ginny out of her thoughts. Turning away from the window, she saw Hermione looking at her, concern written all over her face.

"Are you ok?" the older witch asked.

"Oh… yeah, I'm fine," Ginny replied distractedly. "Just thinking."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Hermione asked again.

Ginny shook the lingering thoughts from her mind and forced herself to focus. "I'm sure. Anyway, we need to get going or we're going to miss the train."

The two witches grabbed their trunks and the carriers that held their cats and began their final walk from the Gryffindor Tower to the carriages.

* * *

"What's going on with you?" Hermione asked an hour into the journey to Kings Cross. "I thought you would be excited about leaving Hogwarts with you and Harry moving into your house today."

"I am, but…" Ginny paused, biting her lip as she figured out how she was going to broach this topic with her brother's girlfriend. "Can you cast some privacy charms?"

Hermione looked at the younger witch for a second before carrying out her request.

"What's this about that you need privacy charms?" Hermione asked once she was done.

"Sex," Ginny bluntly stated.

Hermione gaped at her before she realised where this was heading. "You and Harry haven't…"

Ginny shook her head in confirmation, not at embarrassed by the fact they had not taken that step in their relationship yet.

"Are you being serious?" Hermione replied in disbelief. "Everyone seemed certain you were already sleeping together. I mean you share a room, a bed!"

"We decided to take it slow," Ginny calmly explained. "We wanted to wait until I was done with school."

"Oh," Hermione gasped in realisation. "Tonight?"

Ginny sighed. "That's the problem. I don't know if it will be. I mean I hope it will be. It's not like we've talked about it though. We have allowed our physical relationship to develop naturally, only doing what we have both felt comfortable with."

Hermione didn't immediately respond, but Ginny could tell she was thinking about how to respond.

"I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself," Hermione finally said. "If you have allowed everything to develop naturally already, then you need to do the same for the final step as well. If it is meant to happen tonight, it will."

Ginny smiled. "That's what I thought too, but I just needed to hear it from someone else. It is good to hear someone else agree with me. Thank you!"

"You're welcome," the older witch responded as she accepted a hug from the red head. "So, are you looking forward to moving in with Harry?"

* * *

As his girlfriend chatted with his best friend on the train, Harry was at The Burrow packing up the last of their possessions so they were ready to be taken over to the new house. Even though the house had officially been ready for the last week after the final pieces of furniture had been delivered, Harry had chosen to wait for Ginny to arrive home from Hogwarts before actually moving in.

There was still a small amount of work to do on the house, but it was something he had wanted to do with his girlfriend. Photos and pictures needed hanging as well as any other decorative pieces they had brought or already had. Therefore the house was a little bare right now and Harry had not wanted to be there looking at blank walls for a week.

However, with them officially moving in tonight, he was feeling nervous. He wanted to make their first night in their home special. With help from Kreacher, he had planned for a romantic dinner before they retired to their bedroom. It was to be decorated with rose petals and candles in the hopes of setting a romantic atmosphere and the possibility of them taking the final step in their physical relationship.

He thought that perhaps he should have spoken to her or even written to her about their plans for tonight. But he realised that he wanted everything to be a surprise and for the final step to happen naturally.

He shook himself out of his thoughts and double checked everything had been packed before levitating the last of the boxes down the stairs.

"Are you all packed, dear?" Molly asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I've got everything from our room, including what you left out for me," Harry replied. "Though I didn't get the chance to go through anything in the attic like you suggested. I figured that Ginny would be better doing that."

"I'll tell you what I'll do then," Molly said as she made a cup of tea for them both. "I'll sort out what belongs to Ginny and then she can go through it all herself."

Harry sat at the table accepting the cup of tea from Molly. "Thanks Molly."

They made small talk for a few minutes until Harry decided to ask about the party they were throwing for Ginny to celebrate her finishing school.

"Is there anything you need me to do for tomorrow?"

"Oh no, Harry. You and Ginny just enjoy settling into your home together," Molly responded with a wink, causing Harry to blush.

Harry couldn't believe that his girlfriend's mother had just winked at him. Did that mean she knew what they were planning to do tonight? It would make sense that she did because, while she and Arthur had never said it, they had allowed Harry and Ginny to share a room with an unspoken understanding that they didn't go too far physically. Thinking it would probably be best to get the boxes to the house; he drained his tea and stood up from the table.

"Thanks for the cup of tea, Molly," he said as he gave her a hug. "And thank you for letting me live here."

"There's no need to thank me dear," Molly replied as she gave him a pat on the cheek. "You are part of the family and hopefully someday soon it will be official."

Harry laughed knowing what she meant and knowing he had a plan in mind.

* * *

Having apparated back to Godric's Hollow with the last of their possessions from The Burrow, Harry had Kreacher place them all into one of the spare bedrooms until they were ready to organise it all. He was now ready to pick Ginny up from the station and he was feeling excited about seeing her for the first time since the memorial and starting their new life together. He had even taken a couple of weeks off work to give them time together and for settling into the house.

As he walked into Kings Cross Station and made his way over to where the barrier was, he thought about the first time he had come to Platform 9 and 3/4. It was the day he had met the Weasleys, the day that his life had changed. He doubted his eleven year old self would have believed anyone if they had told him he would end up falling in love with the little red headed girl he had watched chase after the train. Harry smiled at the memory, realising he had been fascinated with Ginny that day, but it had taken him five years to realise it and what she had meant to him.

Harry reached the barrier and leaned into it, coming out onto the platform. He still found it weird to see it without the beautiful scarlet coloured train, even if the platform was beginning to fill with parents waiting for the arrival of their children. He began walking up as he thought about how this would be the last time he would be here. Well at least it was until Teddy began Hogwarts in ten years and then hopefully he would bringing his own future children.

"Harry!"

The voice pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to see his best mate jogging over to him.

"Hey Ron," he said when the red head reached him.

"I thought we were going to head here together," Ron said in confusion.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that," Harry shrugged in response. "I had to take the last of mine and Ginny's stuff over to the house."

Harry saw the tips of Ron's ears turn slightly red, causing him to sigh internally. He knew that Ron was struggling with the idea of him and Ginny living together, especially since Hermione had said no to moving in with him.

He wasn't entirely sure about how things stood in Ron and Hermione's relationship. He was happy that they were finally together, but quite honestly he didn't want to know details, just as Ron didn't want to know details about his and Ginny's relationship. He figured Hermione had her reasons for not wanting to live with Ron just yet. The way Harry saw it though was that he and Ginny had been together for a year longer than them and were ready for that step, especially considering the amount of time they had been kept apart over the past two years.

"Of course," Ron replied as he attempted to keep his opinions to his self. "I guess you must be excited."

"Yeah I am," Harry replied gleefully. "I've taken a couple of weeks off just so I can spend some time with Ginny. Plus we have a few things still to unpack at the house."

"Are you coming back to The Burrow tonight?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Oh… um… no," Harry replied distractedly, having heard the train whistle in the distance. "We've got plans tonight, but we'll be there tomorrow for her party."

Before Ron could respond, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. Harry's heart rate seemed to rise in excitement as he scanned the train for Ginny. As the students began to leave the train and reunite with their families, he spotted Ginny a couple of carriages down with her head out of the window. Both broke out into huge smiles as they spotted each other, before Ginny waved him on down.

"Ron, down there," Harry said pointing out where Ginny was.

The two wizards quickly moved down the platform and through the crowds to get to the carriage where their girlfriends were. By the time they managed to reach the carriage, the two witches had disembarked with their trunks and the carriers carrying their cats.

Harry only had eyes for his girlfriend, who immediately threw herself into his arms allowing him to bury his face in her sweet smelling hair.

"Ginny," Harry breathed out happy to have her in his arms once again.

"Harry," Ginny whispered in response, revelling at the feel of being back in her boyfriend's arms.

Harry leant down and kissed her, happy to know that this would now be a daily occurrence. There was nothing to keep them separated months at a time any more.

"Let's go home, Harry," Ginny said softly as they pulled apart.

The young couple said their goodbyes to Ron and Hermione, who seemed to be bickering about something, before Harry grabbed Ginny's trunk and the carrier containing Tigger. Quickly making their way through the barrier and out of Kings Cross, they found a safe spot from which to apparate home from.

* * *

Any nerves, fears or worries that either Harry or Ginny had, had seemed to have eased by the time they sat down to dinner that evening. On arrival at their home, Harry had taken Ginny around the house to see all the rooms that now had furniture in them before they spent the next couple of hours unpacking and putting up the last of the furnishings, including a variety of framed photos.

They were now sat at their dining table enjoying a candlelit dinner. Both were feeling relaxed and comfortable, both enjoying the lack of interference from the Weasleys. They talked of inconsequential things, of Harry's work at the Ministry and of Ginny's final two months at Hogwarts. They flirted with one another as they enjoyed their time together.

It was as they were finishing up their desserts that the nerves of what could or would happen between them when they retired to bed reappeared. Harry decided to bring it out into the open, rather than allow it to ruin what had been, so far, the perfect evening.

"I'm nervous," Harry plainly stated.

"Me too," Ginny confessed.

The couple looked at each other and burst out into laughter, allowing them to relax once again.

"Why are we so nervous?" Harry asked once they had calmed down. "It's no different to any other night. Not really."

"Except for the fact we are finally in our own home with no one who can interrupt and… well…" Ginny paused, dropping her face as she looked for the courage to say what she wanted to say.

"We're both hoping tonight will be the night," Harry finished for her knowing he didn't need to explain further than he had.

Hearing Harry say those words helped Ginny to say what was in her heart. "I'm ready, Harry. I want tonight to be the night we make love for the first time."

Harry grinned knowing his plans had now not been for nothing, "Me too."

They both relaxed at hearing the other say what they did. Harry held out his hand to Ginny as he stood from the table, which she quickly took, letting him lead them up to their bedroom on the second floor of their house.

Ginny couldn't help but gasp when she saw their bedroom. An array of flowers were scattered around the room, rose petals were scattered over the bed with a selection of candles gently lighting the room. It was so much more than she had hoped for on their first night together in their new home.

She turned to her boyfriend, reaching up to gently caress his cheek, causing her to softly smile as he leaned into her touch. "Make love to me, Harry."

Harry smiled and led her further into the room, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

Molly couldn't help but watch the interactions between her daughter and her boyfriend. She could tell something had changed in their relationship, she could see it in their actions and their affections that it had. And she knew just what had changed. It definitely did not surprise her that it had happened, especially considering they had been in their own home last night with no chance of being interrupted. While it saddened her that her baby girl was now a woman in every way possible, she was genuinely happy for Ginny and Harry. They both deserved the happiness that she could see lighting up their faces. She was also pleased and impressed that they had kept her trust by not going too far physically while living at The Burrow and sharing a room together. She just wondered now how long it would be until Harry proposed to Ginny. She just hoped it wouldn't be too long a wait.

"I take it you've spotted it too," Arthur said as he came over to his wife.

"It's not exactly hard to do so," Molly replied. "I just hope her brothers leave them alone if they figure it out as well."

"You know Ginny will deal with them if they do," Arthur said with a chuckle. "I mean, she did deal with them very well when they discovered her and Harry sharing a bed last year."

Molly sighed as she looked over at the couple in question. She couldn't help but smile at the two as she watched as they openly flirted with each other.

"And now you are wondering when you will get to help plan their wedding," Arthur stated before Molly could speak or even think it herself.

"Look at them Arthur. Can you blame me for thinking that?" Molly protested to her husband.

Arthur looked over and watched the same scene as Molly was and smiled. "No, I can't say that I do, dear."

As the afternoon passed in laughter and conversation, slowly but surely every person present began to recognise the change in Harry and Ginny's relationship. And even though the couple themselves appeared oblivious to the recognition, they were actually carefully observing everyone's reaction as the day went on.

Fleur, Angelina, Audrey and Hermione had been quick to understand what had caused the change, though none had approached Ginny about it. For this, she was eternally grateful as she had not wanted to share what had happened with them. The night had been special and perfect and she desperately wanted to hold onto the memory of it for as long as possible. Even Harry had told her he had felt the same way.

It was when her brothers had begun to realise what had changed that Harry and Ginny had found the most amusement.

Obviously, Bill had been the first to cotton on, having given the couple suspicious looks from the moment they had arrived at The Burrow. When it had finally clicked, he looked ready to come and have a brotherly chat with Harry, but Fleur had intervened, whispering something into her husband's ear. Whatever had been said had worked as Bill did not seek Harry out to speak to him directly. Ginny had flashed Fleur a grateful smile in response.

George was next and he had his pranking face on. Whatever he was planning to do never even got started as Angelina had immediately spotted the look on his face and had dragged him by his one remaining ear to a quiet spot in the garden where she proceeded to lecture him. He was slightly more subdued when he returned, but while it did not stop him pranking anyone, he chose to stay away from doing anything to Harry and Ginny.

Percy came to the realisation as George was being lectured. He seemed like he was building up to giving them a stern lecture on propriety, but then he seemed to slump in his seat as though he had come to his own realisation about something else. Which he had as he realised that he had no right to lecture them when he had been estranged from the family for three years. Audrey had to step in to make him understand that he needed to stop feeling guilty about his mistake and make him see that he was very much a part of the family.

Typically it was Ron that figured it out last and the brother who had the biggest reaction. All of which happened while they were sat down for dinner in the garden. But instead of taking Harry aside, Ron chose to blow up at him in front of the entire family.

"YOU SHAGGED MY BABY SISTER!" Ron screamed as the realisation of this washed over him.

"No, I didn't SHAG your sister as you so crudely put it," Harry said quietly and calmly. "I made love to your sister, something which is completely different from shagging."

The entire table stared at Harry, shocked that he had been open about something they knew would be incredibly personal for him. Ginny, however, was beaming in pride. This was a conversation that neither of them wanted to have as it was something that was important and personal to the both of them, but to see him so calmly stick up for their relationship yet again made her feel proud of the man he had become over the past year.

"I knew the moment you two moved in together that you would take advantage of her," Ron said in fierce accusation.

Ginny could feel her temper beginning to flare but before she could even unleash her anger, Harry laughed.

"Throw as many accusations around as you want," Harry said with a threatening undertone to his voice. "But I am no worse than you are, than any of you boys are."

Each brother shot a glare at Harry, all of them receiving a cuff round the head from their other halves as a result.

"I could let slip some of the secrets I know about you all," Ginny said threateningly. "That might teach you all to keep your noses out of my and Harry's business. And trust me, if any of you decide to write to Charlie and get him involved, I will let slip every piece of dirt I have on all of you."

Molly and Arthur exchanged a smirk as they listened to their daughter's threats. Not that Ginny's words would make much difference; they knew a lot more about their children and their secrets than they all thought their parents did.

"I think it is time to put an end to all of this," Arthur declared. "The simple fact is that Harry and Ginny chose to move into their own house and what they choose to get up to there is none of our business or concern."

Ginny threw a triumphant look at her brothers, knowing they were about to get into trouble.

"However," Arthur continued. "What you all do under my roof is most definitely my business."

The Weasley brothers all paled at the understanding of their father's words.

"I know for a fact that you have all gotten up to things you should not have here at The Burrow," Molly said sternly, before turning her glare onto her youngest son. "But as Ron brought up the subject and so crudely as Harry put it, let's talk about you."

Ron attempted to shrink away as Hermione's eyes began to well up in tears at having their relationship singled out. Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for his best mates. He knew that Ron's reaction was probably more in response to Hermione's current reluctance to move in with him, but his reaction had still been completely uncalled for.

"We know you have been sneaking down to Hermione's room most of the nights she has stayed with us," Arthur took over. "This has happened in spite of the fact we have never permitted the pair of you to share a room."

"But you let Harry and Ginny share a room," Ron protested. "And me and Hermione are older than they are."

"Doesn't make you more mature," Bill stated as he finally understood as to why his parents had allowed the young couple to share a room so quickly and without issue so soon after the final battle.

"Bill is definitely correct about that," Arthur said in agreement. "Even so, your relationship was brand new and encouraging you to share a room would not have been the best decision when you were still adjusting and becoming comfortable in the change to your relationship status."

The table's occupants were growing increasingly uncomfortable with the nature of the conversation, but at the same time, they all understood that it was something that needed to be discussed, especially since the brothers were still very much overprotective of their sister. It seemed like the original argument a year ago had never even happened.

"It is the reason we have the house rule of not allowing couples to share a room unless they are married," Arthur continued before Ron could protest once more. "Yes, we did make an exception for Harry and Ginny. Our reasons for doing so are still the same as we told you last year. However, what you all decide to do outside of this house is none of our concern, therefore, you will all, especially you Ron, apologise to your sister and Harry and then this conversation is over."

The usual muttered apologies came from all the brothers with Ron slumping in defeat after he had said his. Ginny and Harry exchanged a look with a decision made in that moment to speak individually to Ron and Hermione to find out what was going on between them.

The rest of dinner passed quietly and quickly with Arthur ending the night with a toast similar to the summer before.

"It has definitely been a tough year for all of us, but we have made it through," Arthur said as he raised a glass. "So let's raise a glass to continuing moving on and moving forward with our lives."


	17. The Question

**A/N: Sorry the delay in a new chapter! I have been very busy as my life has been a bit manic. That included getting to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child a couple of weeks ago, which is one of the best theatrical productions I have ever seen. Anyway, you can probably all guess from the title what is going to happen in this chapter. Hope you like it as it is very loosely based on my own proposal from my husband! Oh and btw, as much as I wish I did, I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

And life did move on and it did move forward.

Ron and Hermione managed to talk through their issues after some intervention from Harry and Ginny. The younger couple managed to make them understand that both couples were in different places in their relationships and that they should not rush their own just because of them having moved in together already. After a lengthy conversation, Ron and Hermione found themselves in a much stronger relationship, not that it stopped them from their constant bickering.

Hermione had gone back to living with her parents, wanting to spend some quality time with them. She had done so having made a promise to Ron to reconsider the possibility of moving in with him in a year's time. She had also begun her job working in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. While she still needed to work her way up the department, she had been given permission to focus her work on developing better rights and working conditions for the House Elves with full support from the head of the department and the minister.

As for the rest of the family, Arthur and Molly had settled into a comfortable routine now all of their children, bar Ron, had flown the nest. Arthur spent an inordinate amount of time tinkering around in his shed on his days off, while Molly had implemented mandatory Sunday family dinners and had used these as an excuse to start questioning, or pressuring as her children saw it, as to when they were all planning to get married and start having babies.

Little did she know she was about to get her wish.

Bill and Fleur had decided to begin trying for a baby. They had made the decision to do so shortly after the first anniversary of the final battle, deciding that they had mourned for long enough and that life needed to continue.

Around the same time, Percy had made the decision to buy an engagement ring and propose to Audrey. She had immediately accepted when he had asked a few days after Ginny's return from school. Audrey was proud to be joining the Weasley family, who were all excited and happy for the couple when they had announced their engagement.

Molly seemed resigned to the fact that it was highly unlikely that Charlie would ever settle down. However, she had managed to extract a promise from him to come home more often than he had done previously in the past, nor did it stop her from encouraging him to find himself a nice witch to settle down with.

George, on the other hand, seemed to be settling down with Angelina, who was now pretty much living with him in the flat while also working in the shop full time. The couple still struggled with the loss of Fred, but together they seemed to cope much better than they would have had they not found each other.

It looked like Molly was going to get to plan some weddings and get some grandbabies to spoil much sooner than she had hoped for.

As for Harry and Ginny, they had settled into their new home and a routine quickly and easily. While they enjoyed the peacefulness of the house, they did sometimes miss the chaos of The Burrow. Kreacher had accepted living in the new house and was happy with his new living quarters. He had also been a big help when the young couple began having Teddy overnight on a regular basis.

By the start of November, everything was going well for them. Ginny had begun training with the Harpies and while she had yet to play a match, Harry had attended each one nonetheless. Harry, on the other hand, was fast moving up the ranks of the Aurors, along with Ron also. Kingsley had also asked them to begin assessing the department so it could be given a much needed overhaul. Both wizards had taken the request seriously, knowing from experience that changes were desperately needed.

Overall, Harry felt his life was coming together in the way he wanted it to. He felt like he finally he had a relatively normal life. Therefore, he knew it was time to take another step forward in his relationship with Ginny.

* * *

Harry threw a jumper over his head before putting on his shoes. He was trying to keep calm, but his stomach was in knots over what he was planning to do today. Having tied his shoes and knowing he could not put off one of the things he needed to do for much longer, he stood and called out to Ginny,

"Gin, I'm just going to run an errand."

"Ok," she called out from the bathroom. "Don't be too long. We have to leave soon if we are going to make the match."

Checking his watch, Harry saw he probably had about half an hour, an hour at most before they actually had to leave.

"I should only be half an hour," he responded. "I love you."

"Love you too, Harry," he heard as he left the bedroom.

Harry apparated to The Burrow and began the short walk up to the house. He was amazed at how calm he currently felt about what he was going to do right now, but he knew that it was down to the conversation from the previous summer he'd had with Arthur. However, just as he got to the back door, the nerves finally kicked in.

"Harry?" he heard from behind him.

Harry turned to see Arthur coming up the path from his shed.

"Hi, Arthur," Harry said, hoping his nerves were not showing. "You were the person I was actually looking for. Do you mind if I had a quick word with you and Molly?"

Arthur beamed. He knew what this was going to be about and had been expecting it for some time.

"Of course you can, Harry," Arthur replied. "Do you have time for a cup of tea?"

Harry checked his watch once more and saw he had just about enough time to do so, plus he figured it probably would be rude to decline. "Yes, that would be nice."

Harry followed Arthur into the house and watched as his future father in law had a quick whispered conversation with his wife.

"Hello Harry dear," Molly said once she had finished talking with Arthur. "Now Arthur said you wanted a quick word with us?"

"Yes, I would," Harry said as he took a seat at the table, hoping he would not start fidgeting due to his nerves.

"Well, let me make some tea then," Molly responded before turning to put the kettle on.

A few minutes later, the trio was sat at the table drinking tea.

"So what can we do for you today, Harry?" Arthur asked, now they were all settled.

Harry looked at his future in laws and saw the beaming smiles on their faces. They had been expecting this conversation that much was clear to Harry and in that instance; his nerves disappeared, knowing that this was all just a formality more than anything.

"I know we spoke about this last summer, but I wanted to do this right," Harry explained quickly. "I love your daughter more than anyone else in this world and quite honestly, she makes life worth living."

Harry paused and took a sip of tea. As a result, he missed the look of happiness exchanged between Molly and Arthur.

"I would like your permission to ask for Ginny's hand in marriage please," Harry finally said.

The smiles he received were answer enough for Harry, but he was still surprised to quickly receive an actual spoken answer.

"Was there ever any doubt that we would say anything but yes?" Arthur joked. "Of course, you have our permission, son."

Harry let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"Welcome officially to the family, Harry," Molly exclaimed as she came round the table to hug him. "I am just surprised you have waited as long as you have."

"I was planning on waiting on a little longer actually," Harry sheepishly admitted as he and Molly retook their seats. "I wanted her to get settled into training first, but honestly, after living with her for a few short months, I just couldn't wait any longer."

Arthur chuckled in understanding. "So when can we expect an announcement?"

"Tomorrow at the family dinner," Harry said with a straight face.

"That soon?" Molly gasped in shock. "I best make sure everyone is coming then."

"I take it you are asking her today then?" Arthur said as he and Harry watched in amusement as Molly began making plans for tomorrow.

"Yes, I plan to," Harry replied. "Which reminds me, I need to get going or Ginny will have my head if we are late to the match."

"Of course, you don't need my daughter in a bad mood if you want things to go well," Arthur said with a slight chuckle.

* * *

Having been let into the school grounds by Hagrid, Harry and Ginny made their way towards the quidditch pitch. Both were dressed warmly and despite neither being a student of the school anymore, they could not resist showing their allegiance to their former house by wearing their Gryffindor scarves. As the couple joined the tide of students also heading for the pitch, Harry began to wonder where he should propose to Ginny.

He purposefully brought Ginny to watch the Gryffindor/Slytherin match with the intent of proposing to her afterwards. He had chosen Hogwarts because even though the place held many bad memories for them both, it was also the place where they had fallen in love with one another, the place where Ginny had provided the strength and hope he had so desperately needed to make it through the war. It was now just the case of deciding where within the castle he would propose.

Right now, it was a toss-up between the Gryffindor Common Room and their tree down by the lake. It was between where they had shared their first kiss and the place where he had realised she was his reason for surviving the war. He decided to play it by ear and make the decision after the match.

The decision ended up being taken out of his hands.

The young couple had taken seats at the back of the teachers' stand, where they had been invited to sit by Professor McGonagall. Their seats allowed them a certain amount of anonymity as the staff left them alone so they could watch the match. They cheered loudly as the Gryffindor team flew onto the pitch and politely applauded the Slytherin team.

"It's a good thing Ron is not with us," Ginny quietly said. "He'd probably moan at us for clapping the Slytherins."

Harry chuckled in response as they watched Madam Hooch release the snitch and then the bludgers. And just as the quaffle was released, Harry gently took Ginny's hand in his as he discreetly checked the ring was still in his pocket, which it was.

For the next hour, the couple intently watched the match and cheered loudly for the Gryffindor team that Ginny had had a hand in helping to build during her year as captain. Slytherin had also built up a decent team, one that was built on skill rather than build as it had been in the past. The result of which meant a brilliant and on the edge of your seat match between the two rival houses.

An hour into the match, the golden snitch was still nowhere to be seen and Gryffindor had possession of the quaffle yet again. It was at this moment that Harry turned his face to look at his girlfriend and the sight of her made him catch his breath. Ginny was sat on the edge of her seat, her eyes intently following the quaffle as it was passed from player to player. Harry was instantly reminded of the blazing look she'd had on her face two and a half years earlier when he had first kissed her. There in that moment was the look that had started their relationship.

This was the moment. It had to be right here, right now. It was now or never.

Harry discreetly removed the ring from his pocket as he leant over to whisper in Ginny's ear.

"Marry me, Ginny."

Ginny softly gasped at his words and turned to look at her boyfriend. Looking into his beautiful green eyes, she could tell he was serious. And even though they had spoken of marriage many times before, he had still managed to catch her off-guard. It was not until she felt him place a ring in the palm of her hand that she finally found the words to answer him.

Without even looking at the ring, she answered him with a loving smile, a simple nod of the head before verbalising her acceptance.

"Yes, I'll marry you," she whispered in his ear.

Harry broke out into a huge smile and softly kissed her. Ginny allowed him to take the ring which she finally looked at to see a simple gold band with an emerald and two diamonds either side of it. She watched as he slipped it on to her ring finger and carefully resized and disillusioned it.

"So we can tell your family first," he said in answer to her questioning look.

"I love you, Harry Potter," she whispered as she rested her forehead against his.

"I love you too, Ginny Weasley or should I say the future Mrs Potter?" he whispered against her lips, kissing her before she could respond.

* * *

Barely hours after the match had finished, the newly engaged couple found themselves curled up in bed together, having celebrated their engagement privately. Ginny now laid with her head on Harry's chest, constantly checking her ring to make sure it was not all just a dream as Harry played with a strand of her hair.

"Has it sunk in yet?" Harry said with a chuckle as Ginny lifted her left hand to check once again.

"No," she sheepishly admitted. "You blindsided me. I mean, I know we've discussed getting married, but I thought it wouldn't happen till at least next year."

"Well I could always take back the ring," Harry cheekily responded as he jokingly held out a hand. "And I can wait until next year if that's what you want."

"Don't you dare," Ginny growled as she sat up so she could look at him. However, the sheet slipped revealing her naked body which caused Harry to stare and zone out. Ginny snapped her fingers in front of his eyes to grab his attention.

"Can you blame me?" he said with a goofy smile as he pulled her back down next to him. "You look so damn beautiful."

Ginny blushed slightly, but still gave him a brilliant smile.

"I want us to make some decisions about the wedding before we tell my family tomorrow," she declared. "Anything that would stop my mum from taking over or pushing us into something we don't want."

"Like what?" he asked, even though he could think of few himself he wanted to sort out.

"Well when and where the wedding will be," Ginny explained. "Then your best man, bridesmaids, if we want anyone else in the wedding party."

"Let's start with when then," Harry decided. "I vote for sooner rather than later."

Ginny gave him a dazzling smile. "So do I."

"You would need to check with the Harpies though," Harry suggested knowing it would need to fit with the match schedule. "It wouldn't look good for you to request time off so soon into your career. Unless you have a date in mind."

"I did actually," she confessed. "I thought perhaps we could get married on our anniversary. I know it is barely days after the anniversary of the battle, but I thought it would be good to have something happier surrounding that date."

"I like that idea," Harry replied. And he did, especially if it helped him out of the dark mood he was sure to be in thanks to the memories that the final battle held for him. "And we'll get married at The Burrow."

Ginny's eyes lit up at the declaration. "Really?"

"Where else would we get married?" he asked before softly kissing her. "Though I do have one request."

"It's your wedding too," Ginny exclaimed. She was determined not to be one of those brides who had to have everything the way she wanted without any regards for what the groom may want. "Your ideas are just as important as mine."

Harry looked away for a moment to gather his thoughts. The idea he had he knew was not exactly traditional and it did have the potential to take away an important part of the wedding for Ginny. He could only hope she would understand his reasoning behind it.

"I don't want there to be an aisle separating the seating," he finally said as he looked back at his fiancée.

Ginny furrowed her brow as she thought about what Harry had requested. It would mean changing the way she would enter with her father, but if this was for the reasons she believed it was, she would make it work for Harry's sake.

"It's because we share so many friends and family members," she stated plainly but with compassion in her voice. "Because you have so many family members who are no longer with us."

Harry nodded grimly, grateful for her bluntness and understanding.

"We'll make your idea work," she continued. "And we'll leave some seats empty to represent those who we love who cannot be with us to celebrate our wedding."

Harry pulled Ginny into a passionate kiss in thanks for her understanding of his request, which led to yet another celebration of their love and engagement.

* * *

The newly engaged couple were the last to arrive at The Burrow for Sunday lunch the next day. They were smiling as they entered the house, not in the least bit worried about being late.

"Hello everyone," Ginny greeted her family when they entered the sitting room.

"Someone is in a good mood," Arthur said with a knowing look towards Harry, who gave him a subtle nod in confirmation of Arthur's suspicions.

"Well you would be too if you had gotten engaged just the day before," Ginny casually mentioned in response.

The room went quiet at her words before an explosion of cheers and words of congratulations filled the air. Ginny was quickly surrounded by the woman who wanted to see and admire her ring.

"Eet is trés beau!" Fleur exclaimed on seeing it.

The Weasley men offered handshakes of congratulations to Harry and despite their joking words of warnings, he had the biggest smile on his face.

"So you figured out how you wanted to propose to her in the end?" Arthur asked in amusement.

Harry blushed slightly but still smiled as he spoke, "The opportunity just sort of presented itself to me rather than me needing to figure it out."

Suddenly a squeal of delight came from the kitchen informing the family that Ginny had just told Molly about the engagement.

"I'm guessing mum knows now," George laughed as he stated the obvious causing chuckles from the family.

"Where is that future son in law of mine?" Molly said as she came rushing into the sitting room. Spotting him, she came over and pulled him into a bone crushing hug, which Harry returned just as fiercely. Harry could see the tears beginning to build in Molly's eyes as she released him, but he knew they were tears of joy. Gathering herself together, she announced, "Right, dinner is ready."

Over dinner, Ginny told the family of Harry's whispered proposal at the quidditch match before talk turned to their wedding plans.

"So have you made any decisions about your wedding yet?" Hermione asked in anticipation.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and grinned.

"Yes," they said together to the amusement of the family.

"Oh wonderful!" Molly replied, delighted that the planning could begin straight away. "What decisions have you made so far?"

Harry and Ginny exchanged what appeared to be a silent conversation, before they turned back to the table.

"We've made a decision about the wedding party," Ginny began. "We want Teddy involved. We're not sure how though at the moment as he is only two, well he will be by the time we get married."

"Which will be when?" Molly eagerly asked.

"I'm getting to that, mum," Ginny replied in tone that said to wait. "Anyway, Harry and I discussed who else we wanted involved and well…"

Ginny left the sentence hanging as hint to Harry for him to continue.

"I would like it if Ron and Hermione would stand up for me," Harry told the table, looking specifically at his two best friends. "I would like it if they could also share the job of being my best man."

Ron, seeing Hermione about to protest about what the traditional roles were, cut in before she could do so, "We'd be honoured Harry."

Harry smiled brightly at his best mate's response, though he could see Hermione was ready to say something about his decision and he suspected he would need to explain why to her.

"And I shall be asking Luna and Neville to stand up for me," Ginny explained, causing Hermione to relax as she came to an understanding for the decision in their choices.

The engaged couple then proceeded to explain to the family the rest of their decisions, including wanting to have the wedding at The Burrow, with a few suggestions being made to them on how they could accomplish some of their ideas.

"Ok, so we just need a date now," Molly said as she finished writing down the last idea they had discussed. She was a little disappointed that it would not be the big fairy tale wedding she had envisioned for her little girl, but she could understand the couple's need to keep it small, simple and private.

"We were actually thinking about having it on our anniversary in May," Ginny told her mum.

"I don't think May 2nd would be an appropriate date, Ginny," Hermione admonished. "That would be completely disrespectful."

Ginny and Harry started laughing which just made Hermione even more irate.

"That's not our anniversary," Harry said as he continued to laugh. "I know that is yours and Ron's anniversary, but it is certainly not ours."

"Yes it is," Hermione argued as even Ron clocked on to the date they were suggesting. "It's when you got back together."

"Ah, ah, ah," Ginny said, waggling a finger at the older witch. "I never considered us truly broken up. It was more like we were just on hold for the time being."

Harry took her hand in his and smiled as he looked at his fiancée. "We have been together since May 1997, so that is about two and a half year."

"Well before this descends into an argument," Bill said as he stood up to gain the table's attention. "Or before you make a final decision on the date, Fleur and I have an announcement to make."

The entire family looked to the eldest of the Weasley children in interest and anticipation.

"We're having a baby!" Bill cried in excitement.

The table erupted in cheers and Molly cried as she hugged her eldest son and daughter in law.

"Why do you want us to wait in deciding a date then?" Ginny asked once everyone had settled down.

"Well the baby is due in May," Fleur explained.

"Well, let's have the wedding in June then," Harry quickly decided for the couple, much to Molly's delight who was ecstatic that she had not only a wedding to plan for but her first grandchild on the way.


	18. Bonded for Life

**A/N: MAJOR FLUFF ALERT! You have been warned.**

 **So here it is, the long awaited wedding chapter. I spent a fair amount of time doing research as to get certain parts just right for this chapter. The wedding attire has been inspired by that on the Debenhams website. The ceremony itself was a mixture of both the Church of England's service and the UK's civil ceremony.**

 **There is a moment during the ceremony that was inspired by Roses are Red by Pottermum.**

 **Otherwise, please enjoy this chapter. Only 5 more to go now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The months preceding the day of the wedding had been busy for the young couple with not only their wedding to plan but also in terms of their careers. Harry was continuing to rise through the ranks of the Aurors, his training was nearly complete and he was becoming more involved in the cases assigned to the department. Much needed changes were also being made to the department through Harry and Ron's ideas, which were quickly being implemented. Ginny had been promoted from the reserves into the first team and was quickly making a name for herself as the newest starting Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies.

On top of all that, the family had celebrated the wedding of Percy and Audrey in December, Teddy's 2nd Birthday in April and had welcomed baby Victoire into the world on the 2nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. The family was beginning to expand and no one could have been happier than Molly.

As dawn broke on a warm June morning, no one was able to deny that it was looking like it would be the perfect day for a wedding. Preparations were in place for a simple, small and private ceremony, with a large and fun reception and party afterwards. Both were to be held at The Burrow as originally planned.

Following the muggle tradition, Harry and Ginny had spent the night apart with Harry, Neville and the Weasley men having stayed at Potter Cottage and with Ginny, Molly, Hermione, Luna, Fleur with baby Victoire, Andromeda with Teddy, Angelina and Audrey having all remained at The Burrow.

With the sun now just above the horizon, The Burrow was full of activity as the final preparations for the wedding began.

* * *

Harry took one last look at himself in the full length mirror. He was happy with the choice he and Ginny had made for his wedding attire, despite Molly's protests. Rather than choosing dress robes, they had decided upon muggle attire instead, settling on something simple and relaxed.

They had chosen a light grey three-piece suit with a crisp white shirt but with no tie and the top couple buttons left open. Ron and Neville had the same style but in a slightly darker grey. All the men were to wear a white Calla Lily for their buttonholes. Harry couldn't help but smile as he remembered a similar suit also being custom-made for Teddy. He couldn't wait to see how cute his godson would look and to see how long it would take him to get it dirty.

Harry was disturbed from his thoughts from a knock on his bedroom door. Checking himself one last time, he sighed at the hopeless case his hair was before exiting their walk in closet.

"Come in," he called out.

Ron popped his head around the door and flashed his best mate a smile before coming fully into the bedroom along with Neville.

"Looking good, mate," Ron said cheerily.

"You two look good too," Harry replied.

"Definitely more comfortable than dress robes," Neville said to their amusement.

"I take it that it's time to go?" Harry asked as he put on his shoes.

"If you want to make a trip to the graveyard, then yes," Ron told his best mate. "Dad, Bill, Charlie, Percy and George have headed to The Burrow already, so by the time we arrive, we should be ready to start the ceremony."

Harry smiled widely. "I can't believe I am getting married today!"

Ron laughed as Neville responded," Let's go and get you married then!"

After leaving some last minute instructions for Kreacher, the three friends left the house and walked into Godric's Hollow. Many villagers were out and about and for those who had gotten to know Harry and Ginny in the time since they had moved there, they passed on their best wishes to Harry for his wedding.

"Do you two mind waiting here while I visit their graves?" Harry asked as they reached the kissing gate that led to the graveyard.

"No problem, mate," Ron replied with an understanding look in his eyes.

"Here," Neville said as he held out a bouquet of While Calla Lilies he had been carrying. "I had these additionally made up for you to place on your parents' graves."

"Thanks, Nev," Harry responded with sincerity as he took the flowers and headed into the graveyard.

Harry paused as he reached the intended graves and drunk in the sight of his parents' names. He wished with his whole heart that they could have been here to witness his wedding to the love of his life, but he knew they were watching from wherever they were.

As he placed the flowers down on their graves, he realised that he didn't need to speak to them as he had planned to. They already knew he was getting married and they were probably celebrating with all their friends and family. That thought brought a smile to his face as an image of his father, his godfather and Remus popped into his head of them pulling a prank. He laughed softly at the idea as he imagined Fred joining in with them and his mum telling them all off.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he looked at his parents' graves one last time.

"I love you," he said quietly before walking away and back to Ron and Neville.

Neither of them said a word to Harry as he reached them. Instead, they all walked to a safe place before apparating to The Burrow.

* * *

Ginny took a deep breath and flashed Hermione and Luna a smile before she turned to finally take a look at herself in the mirror. She gasped out in surprise when she saw how she looked. She couldn't believe that it was her. She felt and looked like a princess and could only hope Harry would love it also.

The dress she had chosen was Grecian styled and provided a relaxed fit and look. It was simple and elegant, just as she had wanted. The tasteful V neckline and the high waistline helped to accentuate her curves in a very subtle way. The ivory gown was completed by the use of ribbon for the waistband. She had chosen an emerald green that was a near match to the colour of Harry's eyes and that would complement the light grey suit he would be wearing.

She had chosen not to wear any of her jewellery, bar her engagement ring and the tiara that her Aunt Muriel had kindly lent her. She had chosen a natural look for her make-up and had chosen to leave her hair mainly down in loose curls, just how Harry liked it best, with only enough of it pulled back to keep it off her face.

Her entire look was simple, relaxed and elegant. It was exactly what she had wanted for their wedding.

Ginny turned back to look at Hermione and Luna, who were dressed similarly, except their dresses had halter necks and were of a similar grey to the groomsmen suits.

"Oh Ginny," Hermione cried. "Harry will probably faint when he sees you. You look so beautiful."

"Yes, you do," Luna said in agreement. "I believe your mother is now waiting to speak to you before your father comes to walk you to Harry."

Luna swept out of the room to fetch Ginny's mum, not noticing the amusement on the other two witches' faces.

"I should leave you too," Hermione said to Ginny as she gave the bride a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you down there."

Ginny turned back to the mirror once again and smiled. She still couldn't believe she was getting married today and to Harry of all people. She had dreamed of marrying the Boy Who Lived as a little girl, but the man she was marrying was so much more than that and so much better. He was just Harry, her Harry. The reality was definitely much better than the dream.

"Oh Ginny dear," her mum's voice came from behind. "You look so beautiful."

Ginny turned to face her mum and saw the tears streaming down her mum's face.

"I can't believe my baby is getting married."

"Mum, don't cry," Ginny softly said as she reached for her mum's hands and took them in hers. "You are gaining a son today."

"Harry's always been my son," Molly answered. "Has been since he walked into our home for the first time. I just can't believe my babies are getting married. I'm so happy for the both of you. Now the photographer wants some photos before you come downstairs."

Molly composed herself and cleaned up her face before calling in the photographer.

* * *

Harry stood looking at the set up for the ceremony. After many discussions of how they would accomplish his request of no aisle, they had finally decided how they would approach it. Keeping the guest list for the actual ceremony to the bare minimum had been the deciding factor.

Only the Weasleys and their partners, baby Victoire, Aunt Muriel, Andromeda and Teddy, Kingsley, Neville, Luna, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid would be present, with everyone else being invited to join them at the reception. This allowed them to arrange the chairs in a semi-circle around the arch of Calla Lilies and Roses that they were to be married under. Seven of the chairs in the front row had been left empty to represent those who were no longer with them; Lily, James, Sirius, Dumbledore, Fred, Remus and Tonks.

Overall they felt they had achieved their much desired simple and intimate ceremony. Even Molly was pleased.

"Dada!"

Harry turned to see his excitable godson toddling out of the house as he held on tightly to his grandmother's hand and was followed by Molly.

"Mama pwetty!" Teddy declared as Harry scooped him up into his arms.

"Is she now?" Harry asked no longer uncomfortable by the fact his godson called him Dada and Ginny Mama.

Teddy nodded enthusiastically as Harry took the flowers from Molly that he and Teddy were to place on the chairs as the ceremony began. Both Molly and Andi gave Harry and Teddy a kiss on the cheek before making their way to join everyone else who was now seated.

"You ready to help me, kiddo?" Harry asked as he settled Teddy back onto his feet and took his hand firmly in his own. With a nod and a wide smile from the toddler, Harry looked to Kingsley who gave him a nod in confirmation that he was ready to begin before looking back to the house where he could see Ron giving him the thumbs up that the bridal party were ready to start.

Harry and Teddy calmly walked up behind the semi-circle of chairs before veering off to the right to walk round to the front. Before taking his place by Kingsley, Harry placed one long stemmed Calla Lily on each of the chairs for his parents, Sirius and Dumbledore and then helped Teddy place one for each of his parents. Once Teddy was settled with Andi, Harry took his place at the front under the arch of flowers.

A minute later, Ron and Hermione followed Harry's route, coming to stand next to him at the front. Harry smiled as he watched them hoping it wasn't long before Ron plucked up the courage to propose to Hermione.

Neville and Luna followed next, but instead veered off to the left following the path that would bring them to the bride's side. Harry was happy Ginny had chosen them to stand up for her. They had been her support system through their year apart which made Harry grateful for their friendship.

The music that had been gently playing in the background changed and increased in volume. Harry understanding what this meant took a deep breath before looking towards the house where his gaze settled on his bride who was being accompanied by her father.

Harry's breath hitched as he saw a vision of absolute beauty walk towards him. She had kept her dress simple and relaxed like she had told him she wanted to and all Harry could think was that it accentuated her beauty even further. And as he locked eyes with her, he could see the love she held for him shining brightly in her eyes and if it was possible, then it made her look even more beautiful. Any nerves he may have been feeling just melted away with one look at the love of his life.

As Ginny locked eyes with Harry, she felt like the whole world had melted down to just the two of them. She allowed her father to guide her round to the left of the chairs as she kept her eyes on Harry, only looking away when she placed a long stemmed Calla Lily on a chair for Fred. Finally she reached the front and turned to kiss her father' cheek before he placed her hand in Harry's before moving away to take his seat.

Harry reached over and kissed Ginny's cheek. "You look beautiful."

Ginny blushed in response as the couple turned to face Kingsley who had agreed to perform the bonding.

"Family and friends," Kingsley began. "I welcome you all here today to celebrate the joining of these two faithful souls, Harry and Ginny. May I ask who presents this woman to be bonded to this man?"

"I do," came a chorus of six voices.

Ginny and Harry turned to see that not only Arthur, but all five of Ginny's brothers had stood to speak, much to everyone's amusement. The bride and groom smiled widely at the acceptance they felt from Ginny's brothers. While Harry had long felt part of the Weasley family, he felt that this gesture had sealed it for him.

"Before we begin the ceremony," Kingsley began again once the laughter had calmed down. "Harry and Ginny have asked that we take a minute to remember all those who are no longer with us. They are represented individually by the chairs on which a Calla Lily has been laid."

Every adult bowed their heads as they remembered Lily, James, Sirius, Dumbledore, Fred, Remus and Tonks, the seven people who would have been present had they not given their lives for this moment to be possible.

"It is an absolute honour and privilege for me to be asked to bond these two faithful souls for life. I have watched them both grow as individuals and as a couple. I have watched as they fought a war to ensure a future of love and happiness for those they love, including for each other. Now, in front of those they love and care for the most, they will declare their love for one another as they take the next step in the lives together and become bonded for life."

Harry and Ginny turned to face each other, with Luna taking hold of Ginny's bouquet, and joined hands.

"Do you, Harry James, take Ginevra Molly to be you wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her and be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Harry declared clearly as he smiled widely for all to see.

"Do you, Ginevra Molly, take Harry James to be your husband? Will you love him, comfort him, honour and protect him and be faithful to him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Ginny clearly stated as she smiled at Harry.

"Harry and Ginny have chosen to speak their own vows for their wedding. Harry, your vows if you will."

Harry looked deep into Ginny's brown eyes and saw all the love she held for him there. Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to see his bride and only his bride as he began to speak.

"Ginny, whatever promise I make to you now, I doubt it would be enough, but I will try my best. I fell in love with you at one of the worst times in my life and as much as I tried to fight it, it was exactly what I needed in my life at the time. In you, I found a reason to see past the end of the war in a way I had never been able to do so before. You became my reason to survive, you became the person I wanted to fight for and the person I knew I would willingly give my own life for. I have already been able to love you from this life to the next and I was then given the chance to come back and love you for an entire lifetime. So that is what I promise you, to love you for a lifetime and into the next great adventure."

Neither the bride, nor the groom saw the tears on the face on every adult present as each person understood the full force of the words that Harry had said as his vows. If it hadn't been clear before that Ginny had been Harry's reason for finishing the war and willingly sacrificing his life, then it was now.

Ginny smiled through the tears as she was reminded of how she was Harry's last thought as Voldemort had thrown the killing curse at him. She fought to get her emotions under control so she could clearly say her own vows, but it was not easy to do after such beautiful words from Harry.

"Ginny, your vows if you will."

Ginny took a deep breath to clear her nerves and kept her eyes firmly locked on Harry's.

"Harry, every day it still amazes me that you fell in love with me. I feel like I have loved you through more than one lifetime, whether it was when I had that horrible, debilitating crush on the Boy Who Lived or when we had those few wonderful weeks together at the end of my fifth year. But it is the man I stand before now that I love the most. You may not have been given as much love as you deserved growing up, and yet somehow you have this astounding amount of love to give and I want to be able to return it in the way that you always give it so freely. So that is what I promise, to love you in the way you deserve to be loved so you never go without being loved ever again."

Harry smiled at Ginny through his own tears that were now running unabashedly down his face. He knew he had her to thank for helping him to understand just how amazing love could be and for making him understand that he deserved to be loved in the way that she loved him despite what his relatives had told him.

"If I can now have the rings you have chosen to exchange please," Kingsley asked having discreetly composed himself.

Ron and Luna walked over to Teddy and helped him carry a little cushion over to Kingsley on which the rings were currently being held. They both knelt down next to the toddler so he would remain in place until his part was done.

"Harry, if you would take the ring you have chosen for Ginny and place it on her fourth finger of her left hand and repeat after me," Kingsley asked once Teddy was still.

Harry did as he was asked and repeated the words he was supplied by Kingsley.

"Ginny, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, trust and commitment to you. As my best friend, my soul mate and the one that I love above all others, I promise to love, trust and respect you for ever more."

"Ginny, if you would take the ring you have chosen for Harry and place it on his fourth finger of his left hand and repeat after me," Kingsley continued.

Ginny did as she was asked and repeated the words she was supplied.

"Harry, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, trust and commitment to you. As my best friend, my soul mate and the one that I love above all others, I promise to love, trust and respect you for ever more."

The couple smiled widely at each other, both knowing the next set of words would make it all official.

"It is then, with my absolute delight, to declare you bonded for life. Harry, you may kiss your bride."

Harry hadn't needed the words from Kingsley to know that as he quickly pulled Ginny into his arms and kissed her to the cheers and catcalls of their family and friends. As they shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Kingsley raised his wand over their heads causing a shower of silver and gold stars to fall upon them before spiralling around their entwined bodies.

As they pulled apart with wide smiles, they turned to face their family and friends as Kingsley announced,

"It is my great honour that I present to you, Mr and Mrs Harry Potter!"


	19. A Weasley Celebration

**A/N: Finally, a new chapter for you all! Sorry for the delay, been quite busy the last couple of weeks.**

 **So this is the wedding reception and just to warn you, there is a lot of fluff again! Also, the Weasley family bet in this chapter is actually based on something that happened at my own wedding reception.**

 **You may recognise a certain poem in this chapter, which was taken from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, iBooks edition.**

 **We are nearing the end of this story now. Just four more chapters to go!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Ok boys," George said calling the attention of the table to him. "And ladies of course, it is time for a Weasley Family Bet."

Looking up at the table where the wedding party was sat, George caught Ron's attention and waved him over.

"So what are we betting on, George?" Ron asked when he arrived at the table.

"How did you know?" Percy asked with a suspicious tone.

"George warned me," Ron simply said as he conjured up a chair so he could join the table.

"A bet over who will make our darling sister cry first," George gleefully announced.

"But Harry already managed to make her cry during his vows," Percy stated pointing out the flaw in George's plan.

"Doesn't count," George replied waving off Percy's concerns.

Percy was about to question why but was cut off from an unexpected source.

"Tears are expected during the ceremony, but not necessarily during the speeches," Fleur stated to the shock of the table.

"Exactly," George cheerfully agreed. "Now as my beautiful sister in law stated the speeches do not always cause tears, but I feel between Dad, Harry and Ron, one of them is bound to say something to make our baby sister cry."

George pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from his pocket and looked around the table.

"A 5 galleon bet per person, winner takes all or winnings are split between those who are correct," he explained. "So place your bets!"

Bets were quickly placed before Ron returned to his table shaking his head at the choices his brothers had made in regards to whom they thought would make Ginny cry during the speeches. He knew it took a lot to make her cry and there was only one person he knew that could make her cry actual happy tears. He retook his seat just as his father stood to begin his toast to the newlyweds.

"May I have your attention please?" Arthur called to the crowd of family and friends gathered within the large marquee that had been erected on the makeshift quidditch pitch for the reception to be held in. "I believe as we have come to the end of our amazing dinner, it is now time for us to listen to the speeches, which I shall begin."

Raising a glass of champagne to the newlyweds, Arthur began, "I would like to begin with a toast to my daughter and my new son in law, Ginny and Harry."

"Ginny and Harry!" the crowd toasted.

"Thank you to everyone for joining myself and my family to help us celebrate the marriage of my daughter to the love of her life this evening. Unfortunately, not everyone we love could be here to join us on this special day. While I did not have the pleasure of knowing them, I do know that James and Lily's absence is keenly felt today, but even so, I do believe that wherever they are, they will be watching as the events unfold and they will be incredibly happy and proud that their son, Harry has now found the happiness he deserves. So please join me in raising a glass in remembrance of James and Lily Potter."

"James and Lily!" the crowd cheered as a single tear slipped down Harry's cheek.

"Now usually it would be my job as the father of the bride to welcome the groom into the family. However, that would be pointless seeing as Harry has been a part of this family from the moment he first stepped into our home as a very shy and nervous twelve year old. It has been mine and Molly's honour to be able to include Harry as part of our family and we have long thought of him as our seventh son."

Ginny gave Harry's hand a squeeze knowing how much hearing those words from her father meant to him.

"I have to confess though that Molly and I did hope that one day you would fall for our little girl. So we were pleased when we discovered the two of you curled up together and asleep in the Gryffindor common room barely hours after the final battle had ended."

The newlyweds smiled at each other as they remembered that morning when they had confessed their love for each other for the first time.

"I know it took a long time for you to find each other due to embarrassing crushes, heartache and losses. You fought a war just so you could be together, but I can see from the happiness that shines in both of your eyes that for you it was completely worth it. So on behalf Molly and I, we wish you a lifetime of love and happiness."

All those in attendance applauded Arthur's speech as he walked over to the couple and hugged them.

"Well, it's my turn now," Harry said as he remained standing after hugging Arthur. "I want to start by thanking Molly and Arthur for welcoming me into their home all those years ago. You came into my life at a time I needed a family and I will never ever be more grateful than I am for the love and support you have shown me all these years."

Molly began crying at Harry's words which caused Charlie to lean into George and say, "Perhaps it should have been a bet on who Harry could make cry!"

"Next, I would like to thank Neville and Luna. Your support and help as we planned this wedding was amazing. Neville, the flowers are truly incredible. Luna, your help on how to honour our lost loved ones was much appreciated. But it is your friendship with and your support of Ginny during our year apart which I want to thank you for the most. I know that year was not easy for any of you, but you banded together and fought back, protecting each other when you were able to. I appreciate your friendship and support so much I doubt that I will ever be able to repay you for it."

Harry raised a glass in thanks as Ginny beamed at him for his sweet words for two of their closest friends.

"Ron, Hermione, you two have been my friends, my best friends, since I was eleven. We went through more together in seven years than most friends do in a lifetime and I will be forever grateful to the both of you for supporting me through all of that. I know I have not been the easiest person to be around, but you stuck by me anyway. You believed in me and even when you had your own doubts, you still remained by my side. For that reason, I can genuinely say that I probably would not be stood here today had you not."

Hermione flew out of her chair and hugged Harry as tears ran down her face.

"I'm starting to think you are right, Charlie," George whispered as Harry's words made yet another person cry.

"Finally, I want to thank my wife," Harry continued as he looked down at Ginny and took her hand in his. "I know everyone thinks I didn't truly notice you until my sixth year and in a way they were right, but that doesn't mean I never saw you. I still remember the little ten year old who ran after the train in my first year. I still remember you blushing, squeaking and running out of the room when I first came to The Burrow. I still remember the singing valentine you sent me and…"

Harry was interrupted by four of Ginny's brothers as they all stood up as though they had been waiting for this specific moment.

"His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad," Bill began to the amusement of those guests in the know and to the absolute horror of Ginny.

"His hair is as dark as a blackboard," Charlie continued as Ginny began blushing and the guests began to cotton on to what was happening.

"I wish he was mine, he's really divine," Percy said with a straight face and looking anywhere but at Harry.

"The hero that conquered the Dark Lord," George finished to much laughter and a round of applause.

Ginny glared at her brothers causing them to sit down quickly before she turned on Harry, who quickly put his hands up in surrender.

"I swear I had no idea they were going to do this," Harry protested. "I would never embarrass you like this in front of everyone!"

Ginny's face softened as she believed his words and allowed Harry to lean down and softly kiss her.

"I can tell you, unlike her brothers," Harry continued. "I remember just how nasty her Bat Bogey Hex is and I definitely do not want to be on the receiving end of it!"

Ginny's brothers shrunk down in their seats, praying they would not be on the receiving end of that hex later as the guests laughed at their predicament. Harry, on the other hand, looked down at his wife and winked causing her to mouth a thank you to him.

"As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted," Harry pushed on. "There are so many things I remember about you from singing Valentines to sharing chocolate eggs in the library. It might have taken me time to see what was right in front of me all along, but I can honestly say that you are the most beautiful person, inside and out, I have ever met and I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to fall in love and marry my best friend."

Ginny stood up as the tears began to slip from her eyes and embraced her new husband. Harry wrapped one arm round her and with his spare hand raised his glass.

"To my beautiful wife, Ginny," Harry called out.

As the guests cheered and applauded the groom, Harry pulled his wife into a tantalizing kiss.

"I might be the best man, but I still do not want to see that," Ron called out to the amusement of everyone causing the newlyweds to pull apart and join in the laughter. As the couple took their seats, Ron glanced over at the table where his brothers were sat and decided he would reveal the bet as part of his speech. If Ginny hexed him, he knew it would be worth it.

"As the best man, it is supposed to be my job to tell embarrassing stories about the groom. However, I see no point in doing so considering most of your guests here today probably already know most of those stories," Ron began to the amusement of everyone present. "Instead, I would like to apologise."

The guests gasped in shock as the newlyweds looked up at him in confusion.

"I will admit that when we were younger, I did try to keep my sister away from my best friend. However, I know now that I was wrong to do that and perhaps if I hadn't, the two of you would have found each other much sooner."

Ron paused to look down at his girlfriend, who he hoped to marry one day, and she looked back at him proudly.

"I may not have always been the best brother or the best friend I could have been, but I was never as blind to what was happening around me as people tend to think. I didn't fail to notice that Ginny was the only one who was ever able to get through to Harry when he was in one of his moods and I didn't fail to notice how Harry would always go out of his way to protect my sister. I knew by the end of our fifth year that the two of you would be perfect for each other and I was right to think that because I have never seen either one of you smile or your eyes light up the way they do when you are together. After everything you have both been through to even get to this point, if anyone truly deserves a lifetime of happiness with the person they love the most, then it would be you two."

Hermione grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze in appreciation for his words.

"So I would like to propose a toast to the happy couple," Ron continued as he raised his glass. "To Harry and Ginny, may you always be happy!"

The guests toasted the couple before applauding Ron's speech. However, they quickly settled down as they noticed the best man was still standing.

"I can freely admit that no one knows you two as well as each other, but I think I can safely say that I know you two well enough and today you have proven that to me," Ron cryptically said before looking towards his brothers, who seem to recognise what he was about to do. "So my wonderful brothers, be ashamed of yourselves and pay up! I won!"

 **HP &GW**

"I can't believe they put a bet on who would make me cry during the speeches," Ginny huffed as the newlyweds moved away from the table following the speeches. "And even then, they all bet against you, except for Ron!"

"Are you really surprised?" Harry asked with a hint of laughter. "Especially considering we have all made a bet on when Ron will propose to Hermione!"

"Point taken," she replied as they reached the table which displayed their wedding cake. "Oh Harry, it's beautiful!"

Neither of the couple had seen the cake up until that point as they had chosen to trust Molly to make it without too much input from themselves. The only thing they had requested was that it had to be a sponge cake with nothing too fancy in terms of the flavouring.

The cake itself was a simple seven tiered sponge cake, with alternating layers of cake covered in either red or gold coloured icing as a nod to their Gryffindor roots. It had been topped off with a stag and doe nestled together. For as simple as it was, it was still an elegant cake.

Harry laughed when he spotted the treacle tart that lay to the side of the cake. "I'm guessing we are cutting the tart as well!"

And they did, amongst much laughter of the guests who knew of Harry's love for treacle tart. And instead of feeding each other a piece of wedding cake as was traditional, Ginny decided to feed Harry a slice of the tart to the amusement of everyone present. As she did, she purposefully smeared some of it over his face and then proceeded to kiss it off him.

"Mmm, tasty," she whispered as she licked the final crumb for the side of his mouth and then captured his lips with hers prompting many whistles and catcalls from their friends and family.

 **HP &GW**

George looked on as he watched Harry lead Ginny to the dancefloor for their first dance as husband and wife. He had promised the newlyweds that he would not pull any pranks throughout the day and he had kept that promise to a certain extent. Admittedly the idea for reciting the poem if the chance presented itself had been his idea, but it was never intended as a prank as his mother had suggested it was when she had berated him and his brothers for embarrassing their sister the way they had. To him, it was more a remembrance of where the relationship had begun. Either way, his next plan he felt more than made up for what had happened during the speeches.

As the muggle song the couple had chosen began to play, George discreetly aimed his wand upwards and above the couple and whispered a spell. A few seconds later, lily and rose petals slowly began to fall around the couple as they danced together and as they hit the floor, the petals would fade away.

The couple stopped and looked up as they noticed the falling petals. He could see the confusion in their faces before they looked directly at him and smiled before dancing together again.

"That was a sweet thing you did, George," Angelina whispered into his ear. George just smiled and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend as they quietly watched the newlyweds as they shared a sweet kiss.

 **HP &GW**

The newlyweds danced the night away as they were seemingly passed from person to person while gravitating back towards one another every so often.

It was as the sun began to set and the fairy lights began to twinkle that they found their way back to each other once again. Harry was carrying a sleepy and messy Teddy who had refused to settle down for or be held by anyone but his godfather.

"Let's have one last spin round the dance floor, little buddy," Harry softly crooned as Ginny approached.

Ginny couldn't help but smile at the sight before her as she imagined the day that Harry could do that with their own child. As she continued watching as Harry slowly swayed to the music with Teddy resting his head in the crook of his godfather's neck, she realised that she and Harry were already parents in a way, even if Teddy was not theirs biologically.

"There are my two favourite boys," she said as she wrapped her arms around the both of them and began swaying along with Harry to the music.

Harry grinned at her. "Has he fallen asleep yet?"

Ginny glanced up and saw the peaceful looking face of a sleeping Teddy. "Yeah, he has."

"One more dance and then we'll get ready to go," Harry happily suggested.

The newlyweds pressed their foreheads together and gazed into one another's eyes as they enjoyed one final dance, oblivious to the smiles they were receiving.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going on our honeymoon?" Ginny asked as she moved her head so she could rest it on the shoulder opposite to where Teddy lay.

"Well, that depends," Harry teased.

Ginny gave him a pout as she looked back up at him.

"The sooner you throw your bouquet, the sooner we can get out of here and go on our honeymoon!"

Ginny smiled in understanding and softly kissed her husband being careful not to jostle their Godson.

Just minutes later, Ginny had collected her bouquet and Harry had passed Teddy back to Andromeda. The couple now stood in front of their guests.

"If we could have all the single ladies come to the front please, then Ginny will throw her bouquet and we can find out who is getting married next," Harry announced with a cheeky grin.

The couple watched as many of their female guests came into the centre of the dancefloor. Harry watched for both Ron and George's reactions as their girlfriends joined the small crowd and was impressed by the lack of fear in their eyes. Ginny, however, seemed shocked when a fair few of her Harpies team mates decided to participate, including her captain, Gwenog Jones.

"Aim for Angelina or Hermione," Harry whispered in his wife's ear as she turned her back on the women having decided exactly where and to whom she wanted to throw her bouquet.

"I fully intend to," Ginny replied with a wink.

On the count of three, the bride threw her bouquet up and over her shoulder with absolute precision as she used her skills as a professional chaser to throw in the direction of the two women she had planned to aim for. A delighted scream came just seconds later, which told her that her aim had been spot on.

Harry could only laugh as he watched the women scramble for the bouquet. He couldn't help but give a small cheer as Angelina leapt up above the others and snatched it out of the air easily and without any real fight from anyone else.

"Great throw, Mrs Potter," Harry chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her waist as she turned back to face the crowd.

Before Ginny could make any sort of reply, the newlyweds' attention was drawn to the centre of the dancefloor by a collective gasp. They saw George unexpectedly get down on one knee in front of a tearful and shocked Angelina.

"If you don't mind, I just want to steal your thunder for a couple of minutes," George called out to Harry and Ginny, before taking his girlfriend's left hand in both of his own. "I'm just going to get straight to the point even though I don't have a ring. Will you marry me?"

"YES!" Angelina screamed out in excitement as she threw herself at George.

Harry and Ginny quickly moved forward to congratulate them, making sure to inform them that they had no problem with them getting engaged at their wedding reception as it just made the night just that bit more special for them.

"Though, you can't deny that it gives you an excuse to keep on celebrating once we leave," Ginny said hugging her older brother tightly.

"Oh I would have done that any way," George replied as his sister released him from her embrace.

Ginny felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind and a pair of lips come next to her ear.

"Let's get out of here while everyone is distracted," Harry whispered into his bride's ear.

Ginny gave him a subtle nod as the pair began to creep out of the crowd gathered around the newly engaged couple. Amazingly, no one noticed as the newlyweds snuck back to the house, hand in hand, to grab any personal belongings that had been left there before apparating back to their cottage in Godric's Hollow.

In fact, no one noticed until a bright, silver stag galloped into the wedding reception and Harry's voice began to speak from it.

"Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate our special day with us. Congratulations to George and Angelina on their engagement. Ginny and I have already left. We were just a little eager to go on our honeymoon. Enjoy the rest of the evening and see you all in a couple of weeks!"


	20. James Sirius Potter

**A/N: I think you can all guess from the title of the chapter what is about to happen. Only three more chapters to go now as well!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own, nor have I ever owned Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry and Ginny returned from their honeymoon in Fiji two weeks later and quickly resumed their normal routine. All that had changed, besides the fact they were now married, was the name on the back of Ginny's Quidditch robes. Harry wasn't able to stop the huge smile that appeared on his face the first time his wife flew out at a game with the Harpies with the name 'Potter' emboldened on her match day robes.

Life was continuing to move on and the family continued to expand much to the delight of Molly and Arthur.

Barely two months after Harry and Ginny's wedding and their own engagement, George and Angelina exchanged their vows in a simple ceremony in the garden of The Burrow.

A year later, ten years to the day that they had first met, Ron and Hermione finally got engaged. Unsurprisingly, Harry, knowing them best, had been spot on in regards to the bet of when it would happen and won a substantial amount of galleons.

The end of 2001 saw the birth of Molly Weasley II to Percy and Audrey. Molly felt honoured to have a grandchild named after her, whereas Arthur was absolutely delighted by being graced with yet another granddaughter.

Barely a month later, in the early hours of a brand new year, Fleur gave birth to her and Bill's second child, a daughter named Dominique. Ginny couldn't resist commenting on how she was truly no longer the only girl in the family with three girls having been born in just under two years. That was until Harry reminded that she was now a Potter.

September First saw the wedding of Ron and Hermione, exactly one year after they had gotten engaged. It was a beautiful wedding, in which Harry and Ginny served as Best Man and Matron of Honour respectively. However, no one could have predicted Ron getting drunk at the reception, much to the dismay of Hermione and his mother.

By the early summer of 2003, both Fleur and Audrey had both announced they were expecting yet again.

 **HP &GW**

The door slammed open as Harry and Ginny came stumbling through it. Though both of them were slightly tipsy from the amount of drinks they had consumed as they celebrated a monumental win for the Harpies, neither felt a lack of control in their actions.

Harry pushed his wife against the wall as he nudged the door shut with his foot. He captured her lips in a passionate kiss as their hands began to roam and then, eagerly pull the clothes from each other's bodies. By the time they had broken the kiss, they had somehow managed to strip each other down to just their underwear.

Ginny's eyes were smouldering as she looked up into the lust-filled eyes of her husband. She gently pushed him away as she whispered seductively, "Catch me if you can."

She slipped out of Harry's grasp and ran giggling up the stairs to their bedroom. Harry quickly tore after her knowing just what was in store for him when he caught up to her.

When he did, he was certainly not disappointed about where the night's events led them.

 **HP &GW**

Ginny had barely flown up into the air for training with the Harpies when a wave of nausea and dizziness passed through her. She grasped her broom tighter out of fear that she would fall if the dizziness did not pass soon.

Gwenog Jones, who was watching from a short distance away, immediately recognised the look on Ginny's face as one she had seen many times in the past with former players. If she was correct in her assumption, and she was certain she was, she was about to lose her star player and much earlier than she had expected.

"WEASLEY!" the captain called out. "YOU ALRIGHT THERE?"

Ginny shook her head just as her stomach lurched and another wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her to nearly lose her grip on her broom.

Gwenog sighed in resignation and quickly flew towards her chaser.

Ginny slowly lowered her broom to the ground with some help from her captain. The moment her feet hit the ground, she doubled over as her stomach lurched more violently than before and promptly threw up.

"Go and see the Team Healer, Ginny," Gwenog told her star chaser as she rubbed her back soothingly. "Then take the rest of the day off. We can talk tomorrow."

Ginny looked up in confusion at the mention of having a talk with her captain the following day, wondering why that would be necessary. However, as she felt weak from having been sick, she chose not to question it and took herself off to see the team's Healer.

 **HP &GW**

Ginny exited the Floo into the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. She had travelled straight from Holyhead, despite still feeling nauseous. However, the Team Healer had explained just why she was feeling nauseous and dizzy and the news had left her shocked beyond belief, especially as it was something that had happened sooner than they had originally planned. Happiness had quickly spread through her, though, as the news sunk in, and while she felt nervous about telling Harry, she honestly hadn't wanted to wait till the evening to tell him the news.

Ginny made her way towards security, throwing a galleon into the Fountain that had been built in memory of all victims of both wars. Despite it being busy, Ginny was able to find her way up to the Auror Office swiftly.

"Ginny?" a voice called from behind her just before she moved to open the door. She turned around and smiled when she saw her husband walking up the corridor towards her.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked after he had kissed her hello. "It's the middle of the day. I thought you had training till at least four today."

"I did, but Gwenog sent me home as I wasn't feeling well," Ginny nervously explained. "Can we talk privately somewhere, please?"

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked as he brought a hand up to cup her cheek, his eyes filled with concern for the well-being of his wife.

"No, I'm fine, Harry," Ginny responded with a small knowing smile in hopes of alleviating his concerns. "I'm just feeling a little run down, that's all, but I do need to talk to you."

Harry searched her eyes for something, though she wasn't sure what as he quickly found it and led her to one of the smaller conference rooms nearby.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" her husband asked once they were both seated comfortably.

"Gwenog sent me to see the Team Healer before I left," Ginny nervously began. "I think she must have figured out what the reason was for me feeling unwell."

"You're scaring me, Gin. I know you said you were fine, but…" Harry trailed off as an idea came to him as to why she was feeling run down, but he did not want to suggest it in case he was wrong and there really was something potentially wrong with his wife.

Ginny, seeing her husband about to panic, blurted out what the Healer had told her just half an hour ago, "I'm pregnant!"

Harry's jaw dropped in shock at the words his wife had spoken. Children had been something they had talked about for years, though they had agreed to hold off until Ginny had a few years playing Quidditch under her belt. However, he couldn't deny the need to create a child with the woman he loved more than anything in the world had grown stronger over the past year.

"I'm going to be a Dad?" he asked with a look of absolute awe on his face.

Ginny nodded as a couple of tears slipped from her eyes in joy at seeing Harry's happy reaction to her news. Harry pulled her into a tight embrace as he kissed her soundly.

"We're having a baby!" Harry cried in delight as they broke the kiss.

 **HP &GW**

Ginny nervously approached the captain's office, wondering how the team would take the news of her pregnancy and the decision she and Harry had come to last night. Knowing Ginny would have to take time off from playing Quidditch, they had discussed whether she should retire or just take the necessary time off before returning. They had weighed the pros and cons of both, but in the end, Harry had told her it was her career that she could potentially be ending, therefore, it had to be her decision. It had been an easy choice, especially knowing Harry would support her in whatever she decided.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

"Come," a voice called out.

Ginny opened the door and entered to see Gwenog sat behind her desk, smiling at her.

"Ginny, I've been expecting you," the captain said as she indicated Ginny should take a seat. "I am guessing you have come to tell me some news."

Ginny was not surprised by the comment, having suspected that her captain had known she was pregnant. She took the seat as indicated and steeled her nerves to break the news.

"I am pregnant, but I am guessing you already knew that," Ginny said with a nervous laugh.

Gwenog smiled warmly at her. "You know, Ginny, I am not a monster. I may be tough out there when playing, but when it comes to my players and their personal lives, I can be understanding and accepting when I need to be. I believe this is one of those times."

"I'm sorry," Ginny replied as she relaxed. "I just don't want to let the team down."

"I take it, you plan on retiring?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, I am. I love playing Quidditch, but becoming a mum and starting a family with Harry has been a dream of mine for such a long time now, that I would be a fool not to give it my full attention."

"I understand," Gwenog admitted. "I know I don't know Harry as well as you, but I know enough to understand that starting a family with you would be a dream come true for him after everything he has been through. I also know that you go into these games giving everything you have, why would it be any different when it comes becoming a mum."

Ginny stared at her captain in shock. She couldn't believe Gwenog was being so calm about this. She had figured she would put up more of a fight to stop Ginny from retiring.

"I pride myself on knowing my players well enough to get the best game out of them I can," Gwenog continued. "It means I will also know when the time has come for them to retire. Just because I have been playing for a long time and have no intention of stopping any time soon, does not mean it is the same for everyone else. In all honesty, I knew I would lose you permanently as a player the moment you decided to become a mother. I figured it out the first time I saw you and Harry together."

"You're not disappointed, then?" Ginny tentatively asked.

"Yes and no," the captain confessed. "I am disappointed I am losing one of my star players. I am just glad it is not because you are transferring to a different team."

 **HP &GW**

"Ginny, why did the Harpies announce they have signed a new Chaser, this week?" Ron asked one Sunday during the regular family lunch. "And for that matter, why have you not been playing the last few weeks?"

Ginny stilled at the question from her brother. The family had bought the lie that she had been unable to play due a back injury, with the Healer advising she not play for a few weeks. The team had used that as an excuse until Ginny was ready to announce her retirement and pregnancy, something Harry and her had agreed should wait until she had reached her twelfth week. Gwenog and the management team had agreed with their decision, having had a couple of players publicly announce their pregnancies immediately to only then miscarry barely weeks later.

Harry noticed the family had all turned to look at Ginny in anticipation of an answer. He reached over and grabbed his wife's hand as he whispered in her ear, "I think it is time we told them. The healer did say everything was looking good."

Ginny gave her husband a small smile before turning to her family.

"The Harpies announced a new Chaser because I am retiring," Ginny calmly stated. "The reason for that is because Harry and I are expecting our first child."

There was silence for a second, then, the room exploded in cheers and calls of congratulations to the couple.

"Oh, my baby is having a baby of her own," Molly cried in excitement as tears ran unabashedly down her face. "When are you due, dear?"

"Beginning of March," Harry announced, the excitement at becoming a father written all over his face.

Molly looked dismayed at the fact they had not told her sooner.

"The only reason we didn't tell you sooner was because we were advised by the Healer and the Harpies' Management not to inform anyone until I was at least twelve weeks," Ginny quickly informed her mum on seeing her reaction. "We used the line of me having an injury to cover for why I was not playing until we were ready to announce it. The team are releasing a statement tomorrow to confirm my retirement."

Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for Molly's reaction to the information.

Molly smiled, making everyone breathe a sigh relief.

"Oh, who cares how long it took you tell me, I am so happy for you and Harry," Molly cried in happiness. "Three more Grandbabies on the way makes me so happy!"

 **HP &GW**

"Ok, then, everything looks good with you, Mrs Potter," the Healer stated. "How about we have a look at the little one now?"

Ginny raised her top to reveal a small, neat bump. The healer touched the tip of her wand to Ginny's stomach and cast the necessary spell to reveal a moving image of the baby in the womb.

Harry stared at the image of his child, still unable to believe he was going to be a father, as the Healer ran a few routine checks of the baby.

"Everything looks good with the little one," the Healer informed the couple. "For twenty weeks, the baby is good size."

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief on hearing all was well with their baby.

"Now, would you like to know the sex of the baby?"

Harry and Ginny looked at each and held a quick, silent conversation. They had talked about finding out. Ginny had gone back and forth on whether she wanted to know, while Harry wasn't fussed either way. The very fact Ginny had agreed to names which would honour people who had been important to him meant more to him what the gender was of their child. He just wanted to have a healthy and happy child.

"It's your decision, Gin," Harry quietly told her. "You know I will support your decision either way."

"We would like to know, please," Ginny said without looking at the Healer as she gave her husband a smile instead.

With a little encouragement from the Healer, the baby moved into position so the sex could be determined. It was immediately obvious to the couple what they would be having.

"We having a boy, Harry," Ginny whispered in awe.

 **HP &GW**

A few days after Harry and Ginny had discovered they were having a boy, Audrey went into labour and delivered yet another granddaughter for Molly and Arthur. Percy was delighted by his new little girl, who they had named Lucy.

Two weeks later, George and Angelina announced to the family they were also expecting a little boy. They had announced they were expecting a month after Harry and Ginny had told the family their news, with the baby due to be born in April.

A week later, Fleur gave birth to the first boy of the new generation of Weasleys. Molly was ecstatic by the news as Bill placed Louis into her arms.

The weeks continued to pass and Ginny's bump continued to grow. Harry was fascinated by Ginny's changing body and took every opportunity he could to spend time talking to their son, enjoying having their little boy kick as he heard his father's voice.

 **HP &GW**

Ginny tried to ignore the twinges of pain in her bump as she enjoyed the pumpkin soup she had ordered for lunch. She had been feeling them on and off since she had got up that morning and all throughout her shopping trip for the last few baby bits. Her mum, who had accompanied her to Diagon Alley, had insisted they stop for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron before taking the shopping home.

"Ginny, dear," her mum said with a look of concern on her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mum," Ginny replied as another twinge of pain shot through her, more painful than all her previous ones.

Mum eyed her suspiciously as a look of pain flashed over her daughter's face.

"How long have you been having the twinges?" she asked with a no-nonsense attitude.

Ginny's shoulders sagged as the pain eased off and at the fact her mum had figured her out.

"On and off, all morning," she confessed. "But I think they are becoming regular and definitely more painful."

"I think we probably have a bit of time before you need to go to St Mungo's, so let's get you home and get a message to Harry," Molly decided as she took charge of the situation.

Ginny pushed her bowl away and wiped her face. Allowing her mum to pick up their shopping bags, Ginny stood, with some difficulty, from the chair. The moment she was upright, she felt a trickle of something wet run down her leg. She looked down in horror as she realised they would not be going home, but straight to the hospital.

"Mum," Ginny called as she tried not to panic. "Mum, I think my waters just broke."

Molly stopped picking up the bags to turn and look at her daughter. She immediately saw the panic on Ginny's face. Without saying another word, she conjured her Patronus and sent it off with a message for Harry to meet them at St Mungo's.

"Okay, Ginny," her mother said calmly as she picked the final bags up and came around the table to her daughter, taking her hand in hers. "I have sent a message to Harry. We are going to go straight to the hospital and he can meet us there. I'll have your father take home the bags and pick up what you need as soon as I can."

Ginny nodded numbly. It had suddenly dawned on her as her mother had spoken that she was about to become a mother for the first time and she was now panicking inside her head about if she was ready to do so.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's get you to St Mungo's," Molly said soothingly as she slowly guided her daughter to the Floo.

 **HP &GW**

Harry burst through the door to the room he had been told Ginny was due to deliver in, having rushed from the office to be there in time for the birth.

"Harry!" Ginny cried as another contraction ripped through her.

Without pausing for breath, Harry quickly made his way to his wife's side and took her hand, allowing her to squeeze it tight as the pain worsened for a few seconds.

"Hi, baby," he said with a smile and a kiss to her forehead once the contraction had come to an end.

"You made it," she quietly said it. "I was worried you wouldn't make it."

"I got Mum's Patronus only an hour ago," he told her as he checked the clock in the room. "I had to make sure everything was in place for while I am off on Paternity Leave for a couple of weeks."

Ginny smiled in relief. Her labour had moved quickly from the moment her and her mum had arrived at the hospital. She had been worried that it would progress too fast for Harry to arrive in time for the actual delivery of their son.

"The Healer says she is doing well," Molly told Harry after they exchanged greetings. "Hopefully, it won't be too much longer before we can meet the little one."

"Where is the Healer?" Harry asked, noticing he, Ginny and Molly were the only three people in the room.

"She will be along shortly," Molly told her son-in-law. "Another Healer checked us in, brought us into the room and got Ginny settled. They went to get your regular Healer."

"Harry!" Ginny called as another contraction began.

Harry turned his attention to his wife and worked with her on her breathing as they had been taught in their ante-natal classes. The couple locked eyes as they both took long, deep breaths together as the contraction built to its peak and then began to fade away.

"Ah, Mr Potter, you've made it," their Healer said as she came into the room. "It sounds like you have timed it just right, if what I am told is anything to go by."

Harry smiled. "Please, just Harry."

"Of course, Harry," she replied before turning to look at her patient. "Ginny, let's see how far along you are, ok?"

Ginny nodded as she allowed her mum and Harry help into the necessary position to be checked out.

 **HP &GW**

"One final push, Ginny," the Healer said. "Then, your son will be with us."

Ginny bore down and pushed, grasping Harry's and her mother's hands in the process. She was exhausted, but knew with this one push, it would be worth it, especially to see the look in Harry's eyes when they finally met their son.

She felt her son finally make his way into the world and seconds later, the first cries could be heard from his powerful lungs.

"You did it, Ginny," Molly cried in delight as the Healer lifted the baby up onto Ginny's chest.

Ginny looked down to see this tiny little thing laying across her chest, messy and crying from the birth. She could tell immediately he would take after Harry in his looks with the wisps of black hair on his head.

"He's perfect, Gin," Harry whispered as he bent down to see his new-born son and stroke a single finger along his cheek. "Thank you."

Ginny lifted her eyes to meet Harry's and saw the tears streaming down his face in joy at one of his dreams coming true.

"You did beautifully, Ginny," the Healer said as she regretfully broke the moment between the new family. "We need to clean you and the baby up now and then we'll leave you to relax for a short while before we allow you to have visitors."

Ginny nodded and reluctantly allowed her son to be taken to be cleaned up and checked out. Without being asked, Harry followed the Healer who had taken their baby, not wanting him to be alone.

"He's a beautiful little boy, Ginny," her mum said before kissing her daughter's sweaty forehead. "Do you want me to let the family know?"

"That would be great, Mum," Ginny said tiredly. "Can you contact Andi and let her know as well? We want Teddy to be the first person to come and visit."

"Of course, sweetheart."

Molly smiled before heading over to Harry to let him know what she was doing, giving him a hug before exiting the room.

 **HP &GW**

Harry opened the door slightly to find his godson nervously stood outside with his grandmother.

"Hey, Teddy," he said to the five-year-old.

Teddy looked up at his godfather with a shy smile. "Has Aunt Ginny had the baby?"

"She has. Do you want to come and meet him?" Harry asked as he held out a hand to the small boy.

Teddy looked to his grandmother for reassurance, who gave him an encouraging smile, before turning back to take Harry's hand.

"Andi, you are more than welcome to come as well, if you'd like," Harry said as he looked to Andromeda.

"No, I'll come and meet the little one in a bit," she responded with a kind smile. "I think this visit should be for Teddy only. I'll be in the waiting room with the rest of the family."

Harry nodded his thanks. He had hoped that she would allow Teddy this time on his own with him and Ginny. They were desperate to show their godson that, despite the birth of the newest Potter, Teddy was still an important part of their lives who they loved and cared for very much.

Harry led his godson into the room and over to the bed where Ginny was. Their son was in a cot next to the bed, something they decided was imperative when introducing Teddy to him.

"There's my favourite Teddy bear," Ginny said as soon as she saw her godson. "Come here and give me a hug."

Teddy pulled away from Harry and clambered up onto the bed, straight into the arms of his godmother. Ginny dropped a kiss onto his forehead and held him tightly for a moment.

"Do you want to meet him, then?" Ginny whispered into Teddy's ear.

"Ok," he whispered back.

Harry carefully picked up his son, carried him over to the bed and sat down so Teddy was sat between him and Ginny.

Teddy shifted around so he could see the baby, while remaining in Ginny's arms. His eyes widened when he saw the same black hair that Harry had.

"He looks like you, Uncle Harry," Teddy said without taking his eyes off the baby.

"He does, doesn't he?" Ginny said proudly.

"What's his name?" Teddy asked inquisitively.

"James Sirius Potter," Harry proudly told his godson.


	21. August Thirty-First 2015

**A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting a new chapter for this story and for it also being a different one to what I had originally planned. However, two years after having this idea, planning and writing it, it has now come to an end. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favourited it over the last year or so, it means a lot.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own, nor have I ever owned Harry Potter.**

* * *

Life continued for the ever expanding Weasley/Potter Family.

The horrors of the war and the losses they had suffered still haunted them, but the good days now outweighed the bad regularly.

For Harry, especially, life could only continue to become better. The birth of James had brought him the one thing he had always longed for, a family of his own and one he wanted to expand.

A year and a half after the birth of James, Albus Severus was born. The choice of name had shocked their family and friends, especially when they had discovered it was Ginny who had suggested the middle name. However, as Harry explained, they had named their sons for two great men who, despite their mistakes and flaws, had done everything in their power to help Harry win and survive the war. The couple did laugh, though, when Neville froze at the idea of his godson being named after the man that had long been his boggart.

Two years later, their one and only daughter, Lily Luna had been born, completing the family Harry had always wanted. Much to Harry's delight, Lily looked as though she would be the spitting image of her mother. However, Luna, Lily's godmother, had pointed out that it would mean Lily would have Harry wrapped around her little finger if she was anything like her mother, something Harry already knew to be true.

The years continued to pass with happiness, now something that was in abundance within the family.

Harry had been promoted to Head Auror just a few months following Lily's birth. Ginny began working for the Daily Prophet as a Quidditch Correspondent, which allowed her to remain at home with the children when she was not covering a match.

Ron had left the Auror Office not long after the birth of James and had begun working at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Once Rose was born, with Hugo following two years later, he was happy to be their main carer while Hermione quickly progressed through the Ministry and up to the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Most of the family agreed that it wouldn't be long before she would become the Minister for Magic, due to the hard work she had put in to bring about fair laws and equality for the magical community.

Molly and Arthur doted on their grandchildren, though they were not surprised that none of their children wished to have the number children they had chosen to. Bill and Fleur had settled at three, Victoire, Dominique and Louis. Percy and Audrey were the only couple not to have a son, having two daughters, Molly and Lucy. George and Angelina were happy with their two children, Fred II and Roxanne.

Before the family knew it, Teddy, an honorary Weasley grandchild, had begun Hogwarts, with the first Weasley, Victoire, beginning just two years later.

 **HP &GW**

Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he closed the drawer of his desk and reset the wards. He should have known nothing would have stopped his eldest son from getting his hands on the Marauders Map, not even specially placed wards on the drawer in which it had been hidden.

Taking a seat at his desk, Harry sighed as he thought about how James would be taking the train to Hogwarts the following morning to begin his first year. He found it hard to believe that his eldest son was now about to begin his education and it left him wondering where all the years had gone. It seemed time had passed quickly since the day he had finally completed his destiny and he knew that his life had changed dramatically in that time.

If he really thought about it, his life changed the day he stepped back into the wizarding world, twenty-four years ago, when Hagrid had told him he was a wizard. However, he knew September First would always hold a special place in his heart as it was the day he had met his best friends, Ron and Hermione, and the day he first laid eyes on his beautiful wife, Ginny. He had known he was heading for something better that day when the train had left Kings Cross, but he hadn't known these three people would give him the one thing he had longed for all his life, a family.

Harry found himself so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice his wife had come into his study until she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The sudden touch startled him out of his thoughts as he looked up to see Ginny looking at him in concern.

"Are you okay?" she gently asked him. "I've been calling for you for the past few minutes."

Harry smiled at the love of his life before gently tugging her into his lap.

"I'm fine," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I was just thinking about how much my life has changed since the day I first stepped onto the Hogwarts Express."

Ginny gently ran her hand through her husband's messy locks, knowing he was reminiscing about their school days, thanks to their eldest son's upcoming departure to the school. She wasn't surprised by his actions as he had done the same thing the night before Teddy was due to begin.

"I remember when the train pulled away, taking me to Hogwarts for the first time," Harry continued. "I didn't know what I was heading to, not like you did, or how all the kids will. I just remember thinking, wherever it was I was heading to, it had to be better than what I was leaving behind."

"Was it?" Ginny asked, wondering if the seven years of hell Harry had been through as he fought against a rising darkness was better than the ten years of abuse he had been through living with his relatives.

Harry smiled as his eyes became distant, thinking about back to his Hogwarts days.

"Yeah, it was," he finally answered. "I finally found somewhere I belonged and people who cared for and loved me, including the little red-head who chased after the train the day I started."

Ginny blushed as she leaned in and kissed her husband, grateful he was choosing to remember the good times, rather than allowing the bad times to overwhelm him.

"James found the map," Harry stated as the couple pulled apart.

Ginny pulled back and raised an eyebrow in suspicion at her husband.

"I swear I put the wards on the drawer," he said, defending his actions.

"So, you are telling me, our eleven-year-old son, untrained in magic, somehow managed to by-pass your wards, ones we both know to be strong enough to keep out anyone other than those who know the counter-charms or someone who is a Curse-Breaker."

"Yes?" Harry responded weakly as he allowed his brain to process whether he had replaced the wards before he left for work that morning, having not considered that option beforehand.

Ginny glared at him, knowing he had forgotten, despite how diligent he was about keeping certain items locked away from the children.

"What about the cloak?" she asked as she remembered this was one of the items she knew James was desperate to get his hands on.

Harry grinned widely, knowing he couldn't get into trouble now. "Hidden, safely away, where James could not get to it if he tried. I won't be giving it to him until after he has completed his O. as we agreed."

Ginny continued to glare at him for a second before her face softened in response to his answer.

"He will probably get into less trouble with only the map," she responded with a voice that betrayed her belief in her own words. "Probably."

"Is he still up?"

Ginny nodded.

"I'll have a word with him, then," Harry told her, encouraging his wife to rise from his lap so he could stand up himself.

"When you are done talking to him, come to bed," Ginny told her husband with a smouldering look in her eyes as they left Harry's study.

Harry knew he had a stupid grin on his face as he watched her walk away from him. He promised himself, if possible, he would not take too long talking to James.

 **HP &GW**

Harry chuckled quietly to himself as he watched his son attempt to pack his broom in his trunk. He couldn't blame James for wanting to take his broom, even with the ban on First-Years taking their own to school.

"I hope you know your mother will check your trunk in the morning to make sure you haven't tried to sneak anything in there that shouldn't be," Harry said as James went to close his trunk.

James looked up in shock at being caught.

"I haven't packed anything else, other than what me and Mum put in there, together," James protested. "I was just checking everything was in there."

Harry shook his head in amusement as he walked over to the trunk and opened it.

"So, the fact your broom is in there, despite you knowing you cannot take it, was packed by your mum?" he asked, pointing directly at the broom.

"How did that get in there?" James replied, trying to act confused as he took the broom out and leant it against his bedroom wall before going to get into his bed. "It wasn't in there when we packed."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his son's poor attempt to cover his misdeed.

"How about I ignore the fact I saw you trying to pack it and instead tell you about the Marauders Map in more detail?" Harry said as he moved to sit down on his son's bed.

James' eyes lit up in excitement at his father's suggestion, knowing a year without his broom would be worth it for the knowledge he was about to receive in regards to the map.

Harry took his time, rather than rushing as he had originally planned, to explain the map in detail to his eldest son, explaining the story behind the making of it, how it came to be in his hands and all the little miraculous things the map could do that he had only discovered by using it.

"I just need you to promise something, James," Harry said as he folded up the map and handed it back to his son to place into his trunk.

James nodded, knowing his dad was about to set some rules about how he could behave and his use of the map.

"I know I cannot stop you from pranking and causing mischief," Harry continued. "However, whatever you decide to do must not be permanent and must not harm whoever it is you are pranking."

James nodded again, easily agreeing to the same rules his parents had set long ago when it became obvious James would take after his namesakes, something they had continually reinforced.

"Also, while I doubt you will find yourself experiencing anything like what your mother and I did, I want you to promise me that you will not be reckless and run off into situations the teachers should handle," Harry said firmly, desperate for his children to experience Hogwarts the way it was supposed to be experienced. "That means, therefore, no entering and exploring of the Forbidden Forest, unless you are accompanied by a teacher, no sneaking into other Houses' common rooms, no exploring areas you are told to avoid and no sneaking out into Hogsmeade. If you are told not to do something…"

"…then, I am not to follow your example and disobey what the teacher," James finished for his dad, having already heard the same speech from his mum.

Harry smiled, happy his eldest son understood what he was being asked.

"That's not to say you cannot explore the castle or have fun, but please try not to push the rules too much, I am not sure how much more Professor McGonagall can take when it comes to Potters and their need to explore everything and anything."

James couldn't help but laugh at the comment in regards to the Headmistress, knowing how much it had driven her crazy when she had discovered his father at the centre at yet another troubling situation.

"I promise to behave myself, Dad," James said with a twinkle in his eye.

Harry shook his head in amusement to his son's words, knowing his son would cause as much mischief and mayhem as he could possibly get away with.

"Quite honestly, I am amazed Professor McGonagall hasn't retired with you now starting Hogwarts," Harry said to his son as he stood from the bed to leave the room. "Please, don't be the one who drives her into retirement. I doubt I will hear the end of it from her and your mother if you do."

"I promise, Dad," James replied with a yawn.

"Goodnight, James."

"Night, Dad."

Harry extinguished the lights in his son's room as he left, closing the door quietly behind him. He quickly checked on his other two children, Lily and Albus, both of whom were fast asleep, before heading towards his own bedroom, where he knew his wife would be waiting for him.

He smiled as he thought at how normal this all was in comparison to his own childhood years. He never imagined he would to get to do something so simple, such as checking his children were settled and asleep, having only ever known a life that was anything but normal. He knew most people took for granted the simple pleasures in life, but he never did. He was eternally grateful for the opportunity to be able to fall in love, get married and have children and for the chance to create the sort of life he had grown up yearning for.

Harry paused as he reached the door to his bedroom. The sight of his wife sat in bed, reading a book, filled him with a joy that he felt most people would not understand. It was yet another simple pleasure in his now normal life.

It was with a beautiful smile from his wife, with that hard, blazing look he loved so much, that Harry made his way towards the bed, closing the door behind him, grateful for the new normal he had created for his life.


End file.
